Profile
- Type
- Air-to-surface precision-guided missile
- Conflict side
- United States
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- 2010s-present precision-guided munition
Aircraft & UAVs
AGM-179A JAGM
The AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missile is a U.S. dual-mode precision munition built to replace Hellfire-family missiles on rotary-wing, unmanned, and compatible fixed-wing platforms. In the United States-Iran Conflict archive it appears as a probable but contested candidate for the January 2020 Soleimani strike, with the munition identification based on defense reporting and fragment analysis rather than official U.S. confirmation.
- Conflict side
- United States
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- Marine Corps AH-1Z initial operating capability declared March 1, 2022; earlier classified operational use has been reported but not publicly confirmed by the U.S. military.
- Used by
- United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Lockheed Martin
- Designed
- 2000s-2010s development program
- Built in
- United States
- Variants
- AGM-179A JAGM, JAGM-MR
- Developed from
- AGM-114R Hellfire propulsion, warhead, and control sections with a new dual-mode seeker
Specifications
- Length
- 70 in (about 1.78 m)
- Weight
- 115 lb (about 52 kg)
- Diameter
- 7 in (about 17.8 cm)
- Guidance
- Semi-active laser and millimeter-wave radar dual-mode seeker
- Propulsion
- Solid rocket motor
- Warhead
- Multi-purpose warhead with a shaped charge packaged inside a fragmenting case
- Platforms
- U.S. Army AH-64 Apache and U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z; designed for broader Hellfire-compatible joint aircraft integration
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: United StatesRole: Probable precision strike munition in targeted killing
Defense reporting assessed the AGM-179A JAGM as the probable munition used by U.S. forces in the January 2020 strike that killed Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad, while noting that the U.S. military has not officially confirmed the missile type.
AGM-179A JAGM Images
Related Weapon Systems
AH-64 Apache attack helicopterTwin-engine attack helicopterThe AH-64 Apache is a U.S. twin-engine attack helicopter built for armed reconnaissance, close combat, and precision attack missions with a 30 mm chain gun, rockets, and Hellfire missiles. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official Operation Epic Fury material identified Apaches among U.S. assets, and DVIDS imagery documented AH-64E aircraft from the 82nd Airborne Division operating with rockets and Hellfire missiles in the CENTCOM area.
AH-64E Apache attack helicopterTwin-engine attack helicopterThe AH-64E Apache is Boeing's current U.S. Army attack-helicopter variant, combining a tandem two-person crew, 30 mm cannon, rockets, Hellfire missiles, improved engines, sensors, and networking. In the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. Army AH-64E Apaches were documented supporting Operation Epic Fury from forward arming and refueling points in the U.S. Central Command area.
B-52 StratofortressLong-range heavy bomberThe B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range U.S. heavy bomber. During the United States-Iran Conflict, Pentagon and CENTCOM releases documented B-52 combat flights and launch preparations for Operation Epic Fury, keeping the aircraft visible as a long-range strike platform in the 2026 escalation.
F-15E Strike EagleDual-role strike fighterThe F-15E Strike Eagle is a two-seat U.S. Air Force dual-role fighter built for long-range interdiction, precision attack, and self-escorted air-to-air combat. Its conformal fuel tanks, targeting/navigation pods, radar, and two-person cockpit allow it to strike ground targets day or night while retaining fighter performance, a role documented in Operation Inherent Resolve and later U.S.-Iran combat operations.
GBU-31(V)3/B Joint Direct Attack Munition2,000-pound GPS/INS-guided hard-target penetrator bombThe GBU-31(V)3/B is the hard-target penetrator variant of the 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition, pairing a Boeing JDAM GPS/INS tail kit with the BLU-109 penetrator bomb body. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official U.S. reporting described Strategic Command bombers using 2,000-pound GPS penetrating weapons against deeply buried Iranian missile-launcher targets during Operation Epic Fury.
GBU-39B Small Diameter Bomb - reported MQ-9 use, lower confidencePrecision-guided glide bombBoeing's GBU-39B is a 250-pound class GPS/INS glide bomb built for precision and low collateral damage. Official U.S. sources show it loaded on MQ-9 Reapers in 2025-2026, so this record treats the United States-Iran Conflict connection cautiously as reported MQ-9 fielding rather than a confirmed strike release.Sources
TWZ Soleimani JAGM EvidencePublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict claim that AGM-179A JAGM was probably used by U.S. forces in the Soleimani strike; the article also notes the U.S. military has not officially confirmed the munition. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Joint Air-to-Ground Missile JAGMPublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports official background, guidance description, platform compatibility, target set, and specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Joint Air-to-Ground Missile Product CardPublisher: Lockheed Martin | Note: Supports manufacturer context and product specifications for AGM-179 JAGM. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Marine Corps JAGM Initial Operational CapabilityPublisher: Naval Aviation News | Note: Supports JAGM service-entry context, Marine Corps AH-1Z integration, and public-domain image provenance for Marine Corps test imagery. | Accessed: 2026-06-20AGM-179 JAGM Wikimedia ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing for the primary AGM-179 JAGM photo sourced from DVIDS. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Steel Knight 25 JAGM ImagePublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Supports public-domain image provenance for a close view of an AGM-179 JAGM mounted on a Marine Corps AH-1Z. | Accessed: 2026-06-20