A spokesman for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit of the US Marine Corps announced on June 28 that an AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter of this force carrying an AGM-179 joint air-to-surface missile sank a training ship in the Philippine Sea on June 26.
This is the first time the AGM-179 has been used in the Indo- Pacific region, according to Stars and Stripes . The precision-guided missile is designed to attack high-value targets on land and at sea.
A US Marine Corps AH-1Z attack helicopter fires an AGM-179 joint air-to-surface missile during an exercise off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, on June 26.
US Marine Corps
The AGM-179 could also be used to “protect critical maritime terrain from a range of targets, from armored vehicles to maritime patrol boats, in a conflict,” Puczko said. Protecting “critical maritime terrain” applies to the Marine Corps’ updated role as a “standing force” holding islands within range of an adversary to control key straits in the island chain stretching from Japan to the Philippines.
Mr Puczko added that the refuelling and rearming took place at a training area in Japan's Okinawa prefecture and the live-fire exercise took place in the Philippine Sea. He stressed that the exercise allowed the pilots to "improve their proficiency and gain proof of concept regarding their tactics and targeting capabilities".
US Marine Corps military technicians load an AGM-179 missile onto an AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, on June 26.
US Marine Corps
The AGM-179, also known as the JAGM, is a replacement for the laser-guided AGM-114 Hellfire missile and its radar-guided variant, the Longbow, and is the result of combining the capabilities of both into one, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin's website.
The AGM-179 can be launched from helicopters, fighter jets and ground vehicles. The latest variant of the AGM-179, the JAGM-MR medium-range missile, has a range of about 10 miles, according to Lockheed Martin.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-lan-dau-dung-ten-lua-agm-179-danh-chim-tau-huan-luyen-o-thai-binh-duong-1852406300901303.htm
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