F-35 is getting internal JAGM-F via SDB rack. Likely to be part of Block 4.1.
CoAspire personnel attended the open HASC Markup session on May 9, 2018 where JAGM-F and other issues were debated and voted on. JAGM-F Missile amendments (an additional $10M total authorized for Navy and Marine Corps) were voted on “En Bloc” and the vote was bi-partisan and unanimous. (CoAspire Photo)
On Wednesday, May 9th 2018 during the FY19 NDAA markup, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) passed two “En Bloc” amendments for the JAGM-F missile program for the FY19 National Defense Authorization Act. En Bloc amendments are cleared in a bi-partisan process in advance by the HASC and are voted on during the day-long markup process. Both En Bloc votes that included JAGM-F were unanimous.
For those not familiar with the process, the House Armed Services Committee conducts their mark-up of the NDAA in an open, televised forum and members of the public can sit in the limited public seating area and watch the debate and votes in person. Some of the amendments can be controversial. The ones on the JAGM-F were not, and had senior, bi-partisan support.
Here is a link to a Defense News article that lists the En Bloc amendments.
The first amendment passed by the full committee (EB7 117r1) authorizes an additional $5M for JAGM-F missile studies and analysis for the Navy for their F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-35C aircraft, and an additional $5M on a separate line for the USMC for their F/A-18C/D, AV-8B and F-35B/C aircraft.
The second amendment (EB2 177) requests a briefing by the Department of the Navy to the committee on the services’ plans for JAGM-F integration on its fighter aircraft to replace the Laser Maverick missile that will be out of inventory in the coming decade. This type of briefing request is expected when the committee authorizes additional funding, to ensure the services have a good plan moving forward.
The US Air Force has requested $31.596M in the FY19 budget to begin JAGM-F integration activities on their aircraft, and the $10M for the DoN will allow both the Navy and Marine Corps to begin their studies and analysis in concert with the Air Force in FY19 and beyond.
The JAGM-F missile is an eject-launched, fighter-capable derivative the JAGM missile that is a dual-mode seeker missile incorporating an active millimeter-wave radar and a semi-active laser seeker. The JAGM missile is a follow-on to the the Hellfire missile and will IOC on the US Army’s Apache helicopter and the US Marine Corps’ Cobra helicopter.
More digging found this in the FY2019 budget.
Joint Air-to-Ground Missile for Fixed Wing Aircraft (JAGM-F) is an improvement to the Army’s JAGM which will allow the missile to be released from fixed wing aircraft in order to eliminate time sensitive moving targets and high value covered/sheltered targets. JAGM-F will be able to combat adverse weather/low visibility battlefield and countermeasure environments and austere communication environments and have the ability to engage multiple targets types near simultaneously in multiple engagement modes. Efforts include but are not limited to testing, qualification, and design/build demo components to production standards. Intent is to meet all BRU-55, BRU-57, and BRU-61 environments.
http://www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum/Y2019/AirForce/stamped/U_0604602F_5_PB_2019.pdf
So, the outstanding question of how the JAGM is to be internally carried in the F-35 is put to paper, it will use the SDB’s BRU-61 rack. That should give it some good CAS flexibility. Imagine 2xSDB1, 2xSDB2, and 4xJAGM-F internal for CAS.
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