New ability achieved. For the first time in the Indo-Pacific, the United States Marine Corps successfully fired the AGM-179 joint air-to-ground missile (JAGM), hitting and sinking a moving vessel near Okinawa, Japan.
The JAGM was fired by a USMC AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter during an expeditionary strike training mission by the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The JAGM, built by Lockheed Martin, replaces the highly touted and extremely capable Hellfire missile. It is backwards compatible with pretty much anything that can launch Hellfires, like jets, helicopters and ground vehicles.
The Marines said the 114-pound, 6-foot-long JAGM is a “true fire and forget” weapon capable of destroying stationary or moving targets, whether on land or at sea. It has a published range of just under five miles. It is able to reach that distance thanks to a solid rocket motor. The missile employs a multipurpose warhead with a shaped charge packed inside. That makes it effective against vehicles, air defense equipment, buildings and bunkers.
A USMC captain said in the Pacific, the Marines will use the JAGM to defend key maritime terrain against a wide range of targets, from armored vehicles to maritime patrol craft during conflict.
The Marines aren’t the only service branch looking to the JAGM to replace its Hellfires. The U.S. Army is as well, and it will also be looking for ways to put as many of the munitions in the Pacific as possible.
China continues to act aggressively towards U.S. allies, like ramming Philippine vessels in disputed seas and encircling Taiwan in a series of military exercises.
As Straight Arrow News has previously reported, the U.S. and its Pacific allies are wary of China and Xi Jinping’s potential plans to invade Taiwan and take over trade routes in the East and South China Seas by 2027.
To do that, the People’s Liberation Army Navy is expected to employ a host of manned and unmanned maritime vessels. China’s Rocket Force is also expected to deploy a slew of rockets and missiles.
So, a highly capable, resilient and powerful weapon like the JAGM is needed to counter that threat, along with all the other anti-ship and air defense systems the U.S. and its allies are putting up to keep China locked in the First Island Chain.
