Orbital ATK , a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, in conjunction with the U.S. Navy, is rolling out the Block 1 software upgrade to the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM).  Earlier this year, Orbital ATK and the U.S. Navy completed testing, demonstrating the effectiveness of the software upgrade.

“Fielding Block 1 software provides U.S. and allied forces with higher performance against air defense systems,” said Cary Ralston, vice president and general manager of Orbital ATK’s Defense Electronic Systems Division of the Defense Systems Group. “Our ultimate goal is to protect warfighters and AARGM allows them to quickly, safely and accurately locate and destroy targets, whether on land or on sea, while remaining out of harm’s way.”

AARGM is a supersonic, air-launched tactical missile system, upgrading legacy AGM-88 HARM systems with advanced capability to perform Destruction of Enemy Air Defense missions. AARGM is able to rapidly engage traditional and advanced land- and sea-based air-defense threats, as well as non-radar targets leveraging a Global Positioning System (GPS)/Inertial Navigation System (INS) guidance and millimeter wave (MMW) guidance.

AARGM is a U.S. Navy and Italian Air Force international cooperative major acquisition program with the U.S. Navy as the executive agent. AARGM is currently deployed and supporting operational requirements for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. The missile is integrated into the weapons systems on the FA-18C/D Hornet, FA-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft. AARGM is anticipated to achieve Initial Operational Capability on the Italian Air Force’s Tornado ECR aircraft in 2018.

Orbital ATK’s Defense Systems Group is an industry leader in providing innovative and affordable precision and strike weapons, advanced propulsion and hypersonics, missile components across air-, sea- and land-based systems, ammunition and related energetic products.

Source:orbitalatk.com