Lockheed Martin and Raytheon submitted their proposals for the next phase of the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) program June 6.
Built to replace AGM-114 Hellfire, BGM-71 TOW and AGM-65 Maverick missiles, the Government Accountability Office estimates the JAGM program will be worth more than $6 billion over 20 years.
The two defense industry giants are competing for a 48-month contract to continue development and begin low-rate initial production on the missile. Army officials said the Engineering and Manufacturing and Low-Rate Initial Production contract is worth $3.8 billion.
James Smith, a Raytheon executive, said his company expects the Army to make a decision on the contract in October. Army Aviation and Missile Command issued the request for proposal in April.
"Lockheed Martin's JAGM builds on Hellfire, Longbow and Javelin, three of the most trusted precision-guided weapons on the battlefield today," said Frank St. John, vice president of Tactical Missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, in a statement.
Lockheed chose to outfit its entrant with a cooled seeker, while Raytheon used an uncooled seeker. Raytheon officials said a cooled seeker, while more capable than an uncooled seeker, isn't what soldiers and sailors want in combat.
"Rather than complicating matters by using a cooled seeker, we worked in close concert with our customers to determine smarter and simpler ways to arrive at a superior system solution," said Bob Francois, Raytheon vice president of Advanced Missiles and Unmanned Systems, in a statement.
Built to replace AGM-114 Hellfire, BGM-71 TOW and AGM-65 Maverick missiles, the Government Accountability Office estimates the JAGM program will be worth more than $6 billion over 20 years.
The two defense industry giants are competing for a 48-month contract to continue development and begin low-rate initial production on the missile. Army officials said the Engineering and Manufacturing and Low-Rate Initial Production contract is worth $3.8 billion.
James Smith, a Raytheon executive, said his company expects the Army to make a decision on the contract in October. Army Aviation and Missile Command issued the request for proposal in April.
"Lockheed Martin's JAGM builds on Hellfire, Longbow and Javelin, three of the most trusted precision-guided weapons on the battlefield today," said Frank St. John, vice president of Tactical Missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, in a statement.
Lockheed chose to outfit its entrant with a cooled seeker, while Raytheon used an uncooled seeker. Raytheon officials said a cooled seeker, while more capable than an uncooled seeker, isn't what soldiers and sailors want in combat.
"Rather than complicating matters by using a cooled seeker, we worked in close concert with our customers to determine smarter and simpler ways to arrive at a superior system solution," said Bob Francois, Raytheon vice president of Advanced Missiles and Unmanned Systems, in a statement.
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