New U.S. tactical missile is tested

PHOENIX, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Two aerospace giants teamed up to test a tactical missile, hoping to land a $5 billion contract to build it for the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines, officials said.

Raytheon Missile Systems and Boeing Co. recently completed a second government-sponsored test of a tactical missile that someday could be launched by a half-dozen different aircraft, The Arizona Republic reported Monday.

The Joint Air-to-Ground Missile, or JAGM, is expected to replace Hellfire, Maverick and TOW missiles in the U.S. military's arsenal, the newspaper said.

The missile was successfully launched Aug. 13 from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the companies said.

The JAGM employed its infrared guidance system to lock on to the target before it launched and hit a stationary battlefield tank more than 2 miles away.

The Raytheon-Boeing proposal faces competition from Lockheed Martin. The winner will supply 33,000 missiles that can be launched from the F-18 fighter, the Apache, Seahawk, Super Cobra and Arapaho helicopters and the Warrior unmanned aerial drone vehicle.