Northrop to Manufacture Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles Meant For F/A-18 Jets

Northrop Grumman has won a contract worth $165 million to provide AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles (AARGMs) to be armed on FA-18 jets of the US Navy and Italian forces.

"The US Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation $165 million for Lot 9 full rate production (FRP) of the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) in March," the company said in a statement Thursday.

Assets will include all-up round missiles and captive air training missiles for the US Navy and foreign military sales.

Northrop Grumman’s AARGM is a supersonic, air-launched tactical missile system, upgrading legacy AGM-88 HARM systems with advanced capability to perform suppression and destruction of enemy air defense missions. It is able to rapidly engage land- and sea-based air-defense threats, as well as striking, time-sensitive targets.

The missile is integrated into the weapons systems on the FA-18C/D Hornet, FA-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler aircraft and the Tornado Electronic Combat and Reconnaissance (ECR) aircraft utilized by the Italian Air Force.