US Marines in the Pacific have a new punch to throw

New ability achieved For the first time in the Indo Pacific, the United States Marine Corps successfully fired the AGM 179 Joint Air to ground missile, hitting and sinking a moving vessel near Okinawa. Hot target The JAGM was fired by a USMCA H1Z Viper attack helicopter during an Expeditionary strike training mission by the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The JAGM is built by Lockheed Martin and replaces the highly touted and extremely capable Hellfire missile. It's backwards compatible with pretty much anything that can launch Hellfires like jets, helicopters and ground vehicles. The Marines say the 114 LB six foot long JAGM is a true fire and forget weapon, capable of destroying stationary or moving targets whether on land or at sea. It has a published range of just under 5 miles, able to reach that distance thanks to a solid rocket motor. The missile employs a multi purpose warhead with a shaped charge packed inside, making it effective against vehicles, air defense equipment, buildings and bunkers, a USMC captain said. In the Pacific, the Marines will use the JAGM to defend key maritime terrain against a wide range of targets from armored vehicles to maritime patrol craft during conflict. The Marines are not the only service branch looking to the JAGM to replace its health fires. the US Army is as well, and we'll also be looking for ways to put as many of the munitions in the Pacific as possible. China continues to act aggressively towards US allies, like ramming Philippine vessels in disputed seas and encircling Taiwan in a series of ever more provocative military exercises. As I've reported on extensively, the US and its Pacific allies are wary of the Chinese and their leader XI Jinping's potential plans to invade Taiwan and take over trade routes in the East and South China Seas by 2027. To do that, the PLAN is expected to employ a host of manned and unmanned maritime vessels, as well as a slew of rockets and missiles. So a highly capable, resilient and powerful weapon like the JAGM is needed to counter that threat, along with all the other anti ship and air defense systems the US and its allies are putting up to keep China locked in that first island chain. For more of our reporting on the Marines and the US military's pivot to the Pacific to counter China, be sure to download the Straight Arrow News app today or log on to san.com for Straight Arrow News. I'm Ryan Robertson.