In addition to the Raytheon-Boeing news, Lockheed Martin's Joint Air-to-Ground (JAGM) tri-mode seeker successfully acquired and tracked multiple moving maritime vessels during recent high speed, captive flight tests. The tests occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, off the shore of Eglin Air Force Base, FL, against multiple maritime targets, including a Revenge Advanced Composites (RAC) state-of-the-art, low-signature, high speed patrol craft. The RAC performed a series of evasive maneuvers against Lockheed Martin's JAGM tri-mode seeker, mounted in the nose section of a Sabreliner Series 60 jet aircraft.
"These tests demonstrated the strong performance of our seeker design," said Frank St. John, Vice President of Tactical Missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "There are many variables in tracking a target at sea, especially a moving target. Lockheed Martin's JAGM has clearly proven it fills all eight critical capability gaps identified and revalidated twice in the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) process."
The tests highlighted the robustness of the seeker on fixed-wing aircraft, as well as its performance against one of the most challenging targets in JAGM's target set. The tests also validated superior seeker performance in the demanding, high-humidity environment associated with contingency operations in the world's littorals. The long-range, high speed seeker tests were company funded. They collected data that validated the effectiveness of the seeker against sea targets at the maximum ranges of the fire-and-forget modes. Speeds during the test approached 400 knots at 20,000 foot altitude.