FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Lockheed Martin recently completed a successful ground launch of the missile it is developing to compliment the AGM-114 Hellfire missile.
Engineers fired the Direct Attack Guided Rocket (DAGR) from a pedestal mounted to the back of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle that Lockheed is in a competition to build for the Army. Lockheed completed the DAGR missile test at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., which was the 40th total fire test for the DAGR, according to Tim Hill, director of business development for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
The missile was designed to be fired from a host of platforms -- air and ground. Lockheed has already test fired the DAGR from the AH-64D Apache, AH-6 Little Bird and OH-58 Kiowa Warrior.
It took the DAGR two seconds to lock onto the laser target after launch before traveling about three miles down the range and hitting within one meter of the target, according to a Lockheed statement.
DAGR utilizes Hellfire missile system technology in the missile to make sure it is easier for soldiers to train to use it, Hill said. It was built to integrate into the same systems that fire the Hydra-70 rockets.
He explained that the company understands the risk of developing a missile before the potential budget cuts associated with sequestration hit on March 1. Lockheed is confident the development program for the DAGR will continue despite the cuts because of the missile's flexibility.
The expansion to the JLTV, the future Humvee replacement, shows the range of platforms the DAGR can be fired from, Hill said.
"DAGR delivers a high precision defensive capability to the surface combat arena when paired with the pedestal launcher and a mobile ground platform like the JLTV," said Ken Musculus, director of close combat systems at Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control.
