- Lockheed Martin intercepted a drone using a Joint Air to Ground Missile (JAGM) from a JAGM Quad Launcher (JQL) at a 90-degree angle for the first time
- This follows their first surface-to-air firing of JAGM in October 2025
- The US defence prime is pitching the JAGM as a multi-domain counter uncrewed air system (C-UAS) solution despite the cost gap between drones and missile interceptors
Lockheed Martin has test fired the JAGM missile from a quad launcher at a 90-degree angle for the first time, proving the missile can flexibly take down drone targets, even at difficult trajectories.
The vertical launch test saw missile and launcher mounted on the back of a 6×6 “mothership vehicle” in a demonstration at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the Mojave desert. However, Lockheed announced it had first test fired the missile from the cannister-based JQL in October last year.
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Vertical launch concept
JAGM, as the name indicates, was initially intended as an air-to-ground missile capability and it is used around the world: in the Netherlands, Poland and the UK besides the US Armed Forces.
However the American defence prime is beginning to pitch JAGM as a C-UAS solution across air, land and sea in tandem with its unqiue launcher.
The JQL itself features four independent, modular composite cells known as canisters. One of the benefits of the system, Lockheed says, is that it allows for rapid reload of individual canister cells. The system is equipped with a pivot fixture, which enables ease of loading and launching of JAGM at angled or vertical orientations
Likewise, JQL can provie rapid 360-degree engagement against targets (maritime, air and ground) around the launching platform.
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By GlobalDataA viable C-UAS solution?
Leading analytics firm GlobalData warns that a primary concern for military planners when procuring C-UAS technology is the need to compare the costs of each system with its benefits.
While the missile capability functions in practice, and operates flexibly, the concept has the same drawbacks as any other missile capability when it comes to the cost gap with UAS.
The sale of 296 JAGMs at a total cost of $215m to the Netherlands in June 2025 indicates that each missile costs more than $720,000. This far exceeds the cost of many UAS, which cost a few thousand, sometimes hundreds, of dollars.
This issue is already proving to be the main challenge of our time. The Russian threat perception in Europe has prompted neighbouring countries to consider affordable C-UAS solutions.
Estonia’s Frankenburg, for example, has produced the Mark I missile which comes in at around half a million dollars. Much like the JAGM concept, British defence contractor Babcock will develop a cannister launcher for these cheaper missiles.
For this reason, many others are investing in drone interceptors such as Ukraine’s Octopus design, which the UK will soon produce up to a thousand units per month for the war-torn nation.
