Lockheed Martin has been awarded an almost $50 million U.S. Army contract for the procurement of Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles, a U.S. Department of Defense release said.

The $49,618,289 modification to a 2015 contract has an estimated completion date of February 28, 2021, the Tuesday, September 11 release said.

In late June, the new JAGM system passed review, enabling it to enter low-rate initial production, and Lockheed said at the time that U.S. Army operational capability is expected this year.

JAGM is a multi-sensor air-to-surface missile ultimately intended to replace the Hellfire family of missiles and the U.S. Navy’s Maverick missiles.

The system employs multi-mode guidance – semi-active laser and millimetre wave radar sensors – giving the missile a precision and ‘fire-and-forget’ strike capability against stationary land and maritime targets.

The U.S. Army-led program also includes requirements for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, and is designed to be compatible with all rotary and fixed wing aircraft that can fire the Hellfire.

The Navy completed its first flight test of the JAGM on December 5 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, and the Army has conducted a number of tests, including from MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft.