Lockheed Martin and EDO Corporation successfully conducted additional Joint Common Missile (JCM) launcher and missile integration tests on the F/A- 18 E/F and F/A-18 C/D aircraft earlier this month. The tests took place at the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) in China Lake, CA.

Using high-fidelity models of Lockheed Martin's JCM and EDO's Joint Dual Rail Launcher (JDRL), U.S. Navy ordnance personnel and the Lockheed Martin team demonstrated two uploads of the JCM.

In the first demonstration, two JDRLs were mounted directly to wing carriage stations with two JCMs uploaded to each JDRL. In the second demonstration, two JDRLs were mounted to a BRU-55 launcher, allowing four JCMs to be uploaded on a single wing station.

Together, these configurations provide a flexible upload of JCMs that offers the F/A-18 aviator maximum mission capability.

"This combined successful 'J' weapon interface integration and fit-check upload integration, both in the laboratory and with actual F/A-18 aircraft, show maturity and low risk," said Steve Barnoske, JCM program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Fixed-wing aircraft integration is a critical element in our pre-contract, risk-reduction initiative. With the support of NAWS China Lake and the Navy's F/A-18 Advanced Weapons Laboratory, we have successfully demonstrated compatibility with the F/A-18 aircraft, significantly reducing integration risk."

The JCM/JDRL hardware was previously integrated on the F/A-18 C/D and F/A- 18 E/F aircraft systems in the Advanced Weapons Laboratory and subsequently integrated with the actual aircraft. In the second test, the Lockheed Martin team, working in conjunction with the Navy's F/A-18 Advanced Weapons Laboratory in China Lake, successfully completed missile power-on sequences, commanded built-in-tests, initializations to "Ready for Launch" and launch sequences on the F/A-18F aircraft.

"Our JCM risk-reduction program continues to provide the government with the best-performing, lowest-risk solution for our Armed Forces," said Rick Edwards, director of Tactical Missiles for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "We have now conducted successful risk reduction tests on every critical subsystem of the missile, particularly the multi-mode seeker and the guidance, the warhead assembly, the motor and launcher/platform integration. We have promised to provide the lowest-risk solution to our customer, and that is exactly what we are doing."

The Joint Common Missile is the next-generation, multi-purpose, air-to- ground precision missile and will replace the Hellfire, Longbow and Maverick air-to-ground missiles currently in the U.S. arsenal. Lockheed Martin is vying for a Systems Design and Development (SDD) contract that is valued at $500 to $700 million, which is expected to lead to production of up to 54,000 JCM rounds at a total contract value of approximately $5 billion. A decision is expected by May 1.

The Lockheed Martin JCM includes a tri-mode seeker with imaging infrared, semi-active laser and millimeter wave radar capabilities for active and passive "fire-and-forget" and precision-strike targeting. This increases crew survivability and minimizes collateral damage. The JCM also has extended range for standoff engagements-16 kilometers (10 miles) for rotary-wing and 28 kilometers (17.5 miles) for fixed-wing aircraft-and maximum modularity for growth.

The Lockheed Martin JCM candidate builds on the heritage of the Longbow/Hellfire missile family with greatly improved capabilities and reduced cost. The Hellfire missile family has been in production since the early 1980s with more than 16,000 Hellfire II and more than 60,000 Hellfire I rounds produced. Hellfire is in the inventory of 13 countries around the world and has a combat-proven legacy.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin