In the ongoing effort to replenish U.S. weapons systems, the Dept. of Defense granted a $483-million, follow-on production contract to Lockheed Martin for joint-air-to-ground missiles (JAGM) and Hellfire missiles – covering procurement and production costs. The award represents “Program Year 3” of a multi-year production contract initiated in March 2023, with a total contract value of up to $4.5 billion through 2025.
The new award will cover procurement and production support for munitions systems for the Army, U.S. Navy, and unspecified “international customers”, according to Lockheed.
According to Lockheed, Hellfire are currently supplied to over 30 Foreign Military Sales customers, with Poland included in the new allocation.
JAGM missiles are precision-guided munitions for use against high-value stationary, moving, and relocatable land and maritime targets. These are a new iteration of the previous-generation Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, providing a “regret avoidance” capability that allows a missile using millimeter wave radar to be redirected in flight. Regret avoidance allows an aircrew to control a missile throughout its flight to avoid friendly fire or collateral damage.
Both weapons systems are designed and developed in Orlando, and manufactured at Lockheed Martin plants in Dallas; Orlando and Ocala, Fla.; Archbald, Penn.; and Troy, Ala.
“This follow-on contract signals the Army’s continued confidence in both the JAGM and Hellfire systems as premier defense capabilities when it comes to ensuring customer readiness worldwide,” stated Joey Drake, program management director of Multi-Domain Missile Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
Lockheed said the new award maximizes its flexibility to facilitate procurement of both and Hellfire missiles to domestic and international customers, including the anticipated increase in international demand for JAGMs in the years ahead.
“We will be able to continue to provide procurement and production support for both systems, which is important because both are critical multi-domain combat solutions that protect and defend our armed forces and allies against ever-changing global threats,” stated Drake.
