ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. aerospace and defense company ATK has delivered the 100th full-rate production Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile to the U.S. Navy.
AARGM is a supersonic, air-launched tactical missile system. It achieved initial operational capability in 2012 and ATK said delivery of 100th missile was a "significant" delivery milestone in the system achieving full operational capability late next year.
"This is a very special milestone for ATK as it marks significant progress in fielding this much-needed capability for the warfighter," said Bill Kasting, vice president and general manager for ATK's Defense Electronic Systems division. "Our success would not have been possible without the strong support and steadfast dedication of the U.S. Navy, Italian Air Force and our industry partners, and we continue to focus on delivering AARGM's game-changing capabilities."
AARGM is an acquisition program of the U.S. Navy and Italian Air Force. The missile is currently deployed on U.S. FA-18C/D Hornet aircraft, and is being integrated for use on the U.S. Navy's EA-18G Growler and FA-18 E/F Super Hornet aircraft and Tornado ECR aircraft of the Italian Air Force.
The missile, an upgrade of legacy AGM-88 High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile systems, features a digital receiver set, global positioning system/inertial navigation system guidance, digital terrain data base and a millimeter wave terminal guidance seeker.
