The U.S. Navy’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER) received Milestone C (MS-C) approval Aug. 23, allowing the program to move into its first phase of production. The Navy plans to award the first two low-rate initial production lots over the next several months. The MS-C decision comes just over two years after the U.S. Navy awarded the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract to its prime contractor, Northrop Grumman. The combined government/industry team has worked tirelessly over the last few years to reach this milestone.
The team conducted the first live-fire event in July to verify system integration and rocket motor performance, as well as initiate modeling and simulation validation. Captive and live fire flight testing is planned to continue through 2022 and initial operational capability is planned for 2023. The Navy is integrating AARGM-ER on the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G, and it will be compatible for integration on the F-35. By leveraging the U.S. Navy’s AARGM program, the AARGM-ER with a new rocket motor and warhead will provide advanced capability to detect and engage enemy air defense systems.
Data collected from this testing will support expansion of flight testing with AARGM-ER to the full performance envelope of F/A-18 Super Hornet. This flight represents a significant step in the AARGM-ER engineering and manufacturing development phase. During the test, the F/A-18 Super Hornet conducted a series of aerial maneuvers in order to evaluate compatibility of the AARGM-ER with the F/A-18 Super Hornet. 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.
The AARGM-ER program is leveraging the AARGM program currently in Full Rate Production. Design verification tests of the rocket motor were conducted at extreme cold and hot temperature conditions and successfully demonstrated required propulsion performance. Testing of the warhead successfully demonstrated lethality performance. 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. 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.
