Motoring

Lockheed Martin announced today that it has conducted the first test-firing of its Joint Air-to-Ground-Missile reduced-smoke rocket motor. The motor achieved "predicted thrust levels" and "turn-down ratio" and met "all test objectives," according to a company statement.

Lockheed Martin and a Raytheon-Boeing team competing for JAGM work touted successful rocket motor tests in August, as Inside the Army reported. The companies are angling to be selected for the engineering and manufacturing development phase and are waiting for an award of a 48-month contract to continue development and, eventually, begin begin low-rate initial production.

InsideDefense.com reported in October that the Army and Navy have proposed terminating the JAGM program, leaving its fate in the hands of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Painting the JAGM program's future as uncertain, Army chief programmer Lt. Gen. Robert Lennox, told the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee last week that the Army considers the multibillion-dollar program a lower-priority item given that the Hellfire missile, which JAGM is designed to replace, is “doing well in combat today.”