Lockheed Martin says it has completed multiple live-fire tests of its new GRIZZLY containerized launcher, including what it describes as the first integrated HELLFIRE live-fire and vertical-launch test.
The company announced the result on March 24, 2026, presenting GRIZZLY as a compact launcher packaged inside a 10-foot Tricon container. According to Lockheed Martin, the tests showed the launcher could load and fire a missile directly from that containerized format. Such a containerized launcher can be moved, hidden, and deployed more easily than a larger fixed or vehicle-mounted launcher.
The company said GRIZZLY was built in six months using existing weapon and launcher architecture, including the fielded M299 launcher. The M299 is already widely used with HELLFIRE and JAGM-family missiles. Over 6,000 M299 launchers have been delivered to 29 customers.
Lockheed describes GRIZZLY as command-and-control and sensor-agnostic, which, in practical terms, means the launcher is designed to plug into different operational networks rather than depend on a single fixed architecture. The company is also pitching the system as suitable for both offensive and defensive use, emphasizing mobility, reduced visibility, and a lighter logistics burden.
Part of a broader launch concept
HELLFIRE, or AGM-114, is a precision-guided, semi-active laser-guided missile originally developed as an air-to-ground weapon for helicopters and later adapted for drones and other launch platforms. Designed for standoff engagements, it is intended to strike a wide range of targets, including tanks and other point targets, while reducing the launcher’s exposure to enemy fire.
Lockheed Martin is working to expand both the HELLFIRE and JAGM missile families beyond their more traditional air-launched roles and into ground-based, vertically launched configurations.
In January 2026, Lockheed Martin announced a successful 90-degree launch of a Joint Air-to-Ground Missile from its JAGM Quad Launcher during a demonstration at China Lake, California, saying the missile engaged a target unmanned aerial system.