Alliant Techsystems, MINNEAPOLIS: Alliant Techsystems and German defense contractor MBDA LFK-Lenkflugkorpersysteme GmbH have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to assess potential work share opportunities with the German Ministry of Defense (MoD) on the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM).
The MOU focuses on identifying opportunities for Germany in the production and product improvement phase of the AARGM program, as well as opportunities for additional derivatives of the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM).
In 2005, Italy became the first international partner of ATK and the U.S. Department of Defense when its Ministry of Defense signed a work share agreement. If the German MoD joins the AARGM cooperative team, LFK would be integrated into this industry team.
“ATK is very pleased to explore opportunities with LFK on the AARGM program,” said Jack Cronin, President, ATK Mission Systems Group. “The capabilities and experience of LFK would strengthen the existing industry team and ensure we are optimally positioned to effectively respond to any future German MoD requirement to upgrade their legacy HARM inventory to meet current and future threat requirements.”
In May of this year, AARGM demonstrated its significant capability by successfully completing a development-phase guided missile test firing at the Naval Air Warfare Center China Lake, California test range. The success of the AARGM System Development and Demonstration (SD&D) phase builds on the tradition of success established with the Quick Bolt Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) and AARGM Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) phases of the program. During these earlier program phases, AARGM was seven of seven in a series of successful missile firing tests. The AARGM program plans a series of additional launches during the SD&D phase and expects to begin Low Rate Initial Production in FY08.
AARGM is a supersonic, air-launched tactical missile that will be integrated on the F/A-18 C/D, F/A-18 E/F, EA-18G and Tornado IDS/ECR aircraft. The missile is also being designed to be compatible with the EA-6B and U.S. and Allied F-16, and F-35 JSF aircraft. Its advanced multi-sensor system, including a Millimeter Wave (MMW) terminal seeker, advanced digital Anti-Radiation Homing (ARH) receiver and a GPS/INS, is capable of rapidly engaging traditional and advanced enemy air defense targets as well as non-radar time-sensitive strike targets.
The AARGM MMW seeker can operate in concert with the ARH to counter RF shutdown tactics or in a stand-alone mode to discriminate non-emitting time sensitive targets. AARGM is a network-enabled weapon that directly receives tactical intelligence information via an embedded data link and provides near real-time Weapon Impact Assessment (WIA) reports.
ATK is a $3.9 billion advanced weapon and space systems company employing approximately 16,500 people in 21 states.
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