Lockheed Martin begins testing tri-mode JAGM-MR missile
Lockheed Martin engineers tested a three-mode medium-range JAGM-MR missile at a California test site. It belongs to the air-to-ground class. The key feature of JAGM-MR is the ability to detect a target among several objects in the field of view of the GNSS.
The JAGM-MR is positioned by Lockheed Martin as a precision-guided munition designed to destroy moving and stationary sea and land targets. The missile is equipped with a three-mode searchlight with a NIR sensor. It provides more accurate target recognition.
Joey Drake, who is responsible for managing the air-to-surface missile program at Lockheed Martin, says that with the advent of the third sensor, the capabilities of the JAGM-MR have expanded significantly. The conventional JAGM guidance system has two sensors. Thus, it is a two-mode system.
Drake emphasized that the installation of a three-mode seeker in the missile allowed Lockheed Martin engineers to achieve an unprecedented level of guidance accuracy. The missile easily recognizes a target surrounded by foreign objects. The F-35 fighter jet will serve as its carrier.
