The U.S. Navy announced the successful completion of the first live fire test of the AGM-88G (also called AARGM-ER), its advanced extended-range anti-radar guided missile, according to a release issued by that military body this August 2.
The Naval Air Systems Command claimed that the missile was launched from an F / A-18E / F Super Hornet fighter-bomber and met all test objectives.
The main objective of an anti-radar missile is to destroy radio wave emission sources (radars, jamming systems and radio transmitters), which are an integral part of air defense systems.
Northrop Grumman, the prime contractor for the AGM-88G, in turn issued a release his own, in which he stated that the actual fire test took place three months earlier than expected and demonstrated the “long-range capability of the new missile design.”
The Navy statement also stated, without going into details of the project, still classified, that the missile’s ability to cover long distances was confirmed. The AARGM-ER is designed to be launched from aircraft F / A-18E / F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler and all three versions of the F-35 aircraft (Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy ).
It was previously reported that the AARGM-ER was being developed on the basis of the AGM-88E (high-speed anti-radar missile), but would have a range between 20% and 50% greater (up to 154 or 193 kilometers).
The AGM-88Es, for their part, were designed to destroy the radars of the air defense systems of a potential enemy, such as those of the Russian Pantsir-S1, S-300 and S-400.
