The US Navy is conducting market research for a system equivalent to the AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) being developed by Northrop Grumman.
The service first published a request for information in February — but later took it down — for an Advanced Emission Suppression Missile (AESM), a long-range anti-radiation missile with similar requirements to the AARGM-ER.
Initial production and deliveries of the AARGM-ER were originally planned for 2023, but were delayed by missile qualification, hardware capability, and software issues.
Moreover, budget documents note that the service is eyeing a “strategic pause” in AARGM-ER procurement for fiscal 2027.
While its initial operational capability had been pushed to later this year, The War Zone suggested the AESM effort could provide an alternative source for the capability as the AARGM-ER program continues to mature.
Missile Requirements
According to the request for information, the missile must use an advanced anti-radiation seeker with broad frequency coverage to counter modern radar systems.
The service is seeking a mature design system at Technology Readiness Level 6 — a fully functional prototype — featuring an open, modular architecture that allows rapid upgrades and seamless integration of future sensors and mission systems.
Similar to the AARGM-ER, the AESM must be capable of engaging a wide range of targets at standoff distances and be deployed from the F-35 Lightning II, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and EA-18G Growler aircraft.
The system is expected to offer high reliability with minimal maintenance, support a 15-year service life, withstand more than 500 captive carriage flight hours, and operate in carrier environments.
Additional requirements include compliance with current cybersecurity standards and vendor capacity to produce up to 600 missiles per year.
