Northrop Grumman Corporation recently completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) following successful design verification tests of key components for the U.S. Navy’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) program. Design verification tests of the AARGM-ER rocket motor and warhead along with the CDR verified subsystem and system-level performance. The AARGM-ER program is leveraging the AARGM program currently in Full Rate Production.
Testing of the warhead successfully demonstrated lethality performance. Design verification tests of the rocket motor were conducted at extreme cold and hot temperature conditions and successfully demonstrated required propulsion performance. By leveraging the AARGM program, the AARGM-ER program with the new rocket motor and warhead will provide advanced capability to detect and engage long-range adversary air defense systems. AARGM-ER is being integrated on the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G, and will be compatible for integration of the F-35A/B/C.
“Rocket motor design verification tests represented a significant knowledge point and milestone for engineering and manufacturing development”, said Gordon Turner, vice president, advanced weapons, Northrop Grumman. “These tests were important to informing the critical design review and verifying performance of the missile. With our government partners, we are aggressively focused on achieving ‘speed to fleet’ while holding to program cost objectives.”
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company. With 90,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers and military technology providers. The firm ranks No. 108 on the 2020 Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations. Northrop Grumman can trace its lineage back to the beginning of the 20th century and has created myriad products such as ballistic missiles, all-weather radars, Apollo Lunar Module, land and sea-based fighter aircraft and Stealth bombers.
