The Department of Navy announced the $86.2 million contract award of the Precision Attack Strike Munition to L3Harris Technologies Jan 30, a critical component of the Marine Corps’ vision for enhancing the lethality and survivability of its rotary-wing assets.

PASM will provide the Marine Corps with a cost-effective, longer-range, precision weapon that can deliver diverse effects (kinetic or non—kinetic) from AH-1Z aircraft in land and sea-based environments.

The Navy will complete the delivery of a new Counter-Unmanned Air System (UAS) weapon system to Ukraine this month as part of the Department of Defense aid package.

Last year, the contingency operations team for the Direct and Time Sensitive Strike program office (PMA-242) began working an urgent requirement to deliver rocket-launching platforms, known as Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) systems, to support wartime efforts in Ukraine.

Lt. Cmdr. Chad Henderson received Naval Air Station Patuxent River 2022 Admiral Merlin O’Neill Officer of the Year award during a ceremony Nov. 10 on base.

The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) local representative Col. Neil Johnson, U.S. Army (ret.), presented the award to Henderson who was recognized as a junior officer that has demonstrated superior performance and leadership, with an emphasis on volunteer activities and involvement in the community. 

The U.S. Marine Corps declared Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) on the AH-1Z Viper, March 1.

JAGM, a joint program with the Army, is a precision-guided missile that combines semi-active laser guidance and millimeter-wave radar. It is an air-to-surface precision-guided munition (PGM) used on joint rotary-wing, unmanned aircraft systems, and fixed-wing platforms to destroy high-value, stationary and moving, land and maritime targets.

The Marines recently completed Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) operational testing on the AH-1Z Viper at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, demonstrating its maritime targeting capability.

The team conducted multiple live-fire events in November testing all modes of the missile against realistic operational threats.

“The team has worked tirelessly to conduct these rigorous test events, said Capt. Alex Dutko, Direct and Times Sensitive Strike (PMA-242) program manager. The successful event today gives us confidence that we can move into full rate production next year.”

The Navy’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER) received Milestone C (MS-C) approval Aug. 23, allowing the program to move into its first phase of production.

The Navy plans to award the first two low-rate initial production lots over the next several months.

The Navy’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER) completed its first live fire event July 19 off the coast of Point Mugu Sea Test Range.

The AARGM-ER was launched from an F/A-18 Super Hornet and met all planned test objectives. 

The Direct and Time Sensitive Strike Weapons office (PMA-242) welcomed a new program manager during a ceremony June 17 at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.

Rear Adm. Brian Corey, Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO (U&W)), presided over the change of command ceremony that transferred leadership from Capt. Matthew Commerford to Capt. Alexander Dutko.

The U.S. Navy completed an Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER)  captive carry flight on an F/A-18 Super Hornet April 22 at Patuxent River in support of the first live fire event this spring.

This flight marked the first time the AARGM-ER weapon demonstrated it could communicate with the F/A-18 E/F aircraft.  The Separation Test Vehicle (STV) used its hardware and software to facilitate the controlled free flight.