# AGM-176 Griffin
The **AGM-176 Griffin** is a lightweight, precision-guided air-to-surface missile developed by Raytheon (now part of RTX) for high-precision, low-collateral-damage attacks against light surface targets, using GPS-aided inertial guidance with a semi-active laser seeker.[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) It is small enough to be carried in numbers by gunships and remotely piloted aircraft, and a ship-launched version, the BGM-176B, equips the U.S. Navy's MK 60 Griffin Missile System on Cyclone-class coastal patrol ships.[2](https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-176.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Role | High-precision, low-collateral-damage attack on light surface targets[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) |
| Guidance | GPS/INS with semi-active laser seeker[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) |
| Dimensions and propulsion | Length 43 in, diameter 5.5 in; solid-propellant rocket motor; subsonic[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) |
| Range | 12+ miles air-launched; about 3.0 nm effective range in the surface-launched MK 60 system[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) • [3](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2167883/mk-60-griffin-missile-system-gms/) |
| Warhead | Blast fragmentation, 13 lb (5.9 kg) multi-effect warhead with 3.2 lb net explosive weight[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) • [2](https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-176.html) • [4](https://swx-strapi-events-images.s3.amazonaws.com/SOPGM_for_ALM_CE_0a74bef7f4.pdf) |
| Variants | AGM-176A aft-ejecting (gunships); AGM-176B forward-firing (RPAs, ships)[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) |
| Production | Began 2008; 2,000th missile delivered February 2014[5](https://raytheon.mediaroom.com/index.php?item=2514&s=43) |
## Design
Griffin was developed by Raytheon as a private venture in the 2007/2008 time frame, at company expense, to give the warfighter a quick-reaction capability: a light, reliable tactical weapon able to destroy targets precisely with limited collateral damage.[2](https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-176.html) • [5](https://raytheon.mediaroom.com/index.php?item=2514&s=43) To reduce development time and cost, the design reused components from other Raytheon products, including the [FGM-148 Javelin](https://www.edgepedia.org/fgm-148-javelin) and AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles.[2](https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-176.html)
The missile navigates with GPS-aided inertial guidance and terminates with a semi-active laser seeker, so it can be launched against a coordinate and then lased onto the target by the launching aircraft or a ground designator.[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) Its 13 lb multi-effect warhead is intended to inflict less collateral damage than the larger [AGM-114 Hellfire](https://www.edgepedia.org/agm-114-hellfire), a weapon it otherwise resembles in role; the aft-firing AGM-176A weighs 33 pounds.[2](https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-176.html) • [6](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/more-griffins-please/)
## Variants
Two active variants carry the AGM-176 designation. The **AGM-176A** is an aft-ejecting missile employed as part of the Precision Strike Package (PSP), fired from ramp-mounted common launch tubes on [Air Force Special Operations Command](https://www.edgepedia.org/air-force-special-operations-command)'s AC-130W Stinger II and AC-130J Ghostrider gunships.[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) The **AGM-176B** is a forward-firing, rocket-powered variant optimized for light aircraft and remotely piloted aircraft, principally the MQ-9 Reaper.[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) • [2](https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-176.html) The ship-launched missile is designated BGM-176B.[2](https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-176.html)
Raytheon also developed upgraded blocks. The **Griffin Block III**, demonstrated in flight tests at China Lake in February 2014 with several direct hits on static and moving targets, adds an improved semi-active laser seeker and a new Multi-Effects Warhead System intended to maximize lethality against a variety of targets; the 2,000th missile delivered was a Block III configuration.[7](https://raytheon.mediaroom.com/index.php?item=2523&s=43) • [5](https://raytheon.mediaroom.com/index.php?item=2514&s=43) Later Griffin C variants add dual-mode guidance with in-flight retargeting, and a C-ER extended-range version exists.[8](https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/agm-176.htm)
## Airborne employment
Griffin entered service as the standoff precision munition of the AFSOC gunship fleet. The Precision Strike Package, a roll-on/roll-off kit developed under the Dragon Spear program and first fielded on MC-130W aircraft, includes the AGM-176A alongside electro-optical/infrared sensors, a 30 mm cannon, and small diameter bomb capability.[9](https://www.afsoc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/162816/benchmark-dragon-spear-program-earns-william-j-perry-award/) • [10](https://www.eglin.af.mil/News/Article/814350/new-ac-130j-completes-first-test-flight/) On the AC-130J Ghostrider, Griffins deploy aft-firing from 10 common launch tubes integrated into the aircraft's ramp/door, supplementing the 30 mm and 105 mm cannons and wing pylons for GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs and AGM-114 Hellfires.[11](https://www.afsoc.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/2547234/ac-130j-ghostrider/)
The forward-firing AGM-176B equips the MQ-9 Reaper, and the Marine Corps' Harvest Hawk kit for the KC-130 includes up to 10 internally stored and launched Griffin missiles alongside Hellfires and a roll-on fire control console.[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) • [12](https://cfc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/api/collection/p22012coll3/id/8638/download)
## Naval use: MK 60 Griffin Missile System
The Navy adapted the forward-firing Griffin B as the missile of the **MK 60 Griffin Missile System**, a surface-to-surface system for ship self-defense against small boat threats. The rapid deployment capability was approved in June 2011 and achieved initial operational capability in October 2013.[3](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2167883/mk-60-griffin-missile-system-gms/) The system combines the Mark 4 battle management system, the Mark 208 Griffin launcher module, the AN/SSQ-133 BRITE Star II electro-optical/infrared sensor with laser rangefinder and designator, and the BGM-176B all-up-round, with an effective range of about 3.0 nm and single-launch or multiple-salvo firing.[3](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2167883/mk-60-griffin-missile-system-gms/) It gives [Cyclone-class](https://www.edgepedia.org/cyclone-class-patrol-ship) patrol coastal ships a layered small boat defense on top of the Mark 38 gun, and ten of these ships, forward deployed to Manama, Bahrain, were fitted with the system.[3](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2167883/mk-60-griffin-missile-system-gms/)
## Production and procurement
Production began in 2008, and by February 2014 Raytheon had delivered its 2,000th Griffin after 70 consecutive months of on-time or early deliveries.[5](https://raytheon.mediaroom.com/index.php?item=2514&s=43) The Air Force issued Raytheon a $105.2 million contract modification in 2018 for additional missiles, and FY21 SOCOM-wide funds supported procurement of 226 AGM-176 missiles including data links.[1](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/) FY22 ended additional procurement as USSOCOM shifted funds toward small standoff precision guided munitions for contested environments, though SOCOM plans to include the AGM-176 in the future OA-1K armed overwatch platform's arsenal.[13](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/07/Almanac2025_Weapons_V2.pdf)
## Low-collateral role
Griffin's small warhead places it among the munitions the U.S. military selects when engaging targets near civilians. Department of Defense civilian-harm mitigation guidance directs the use of precision-guided weapons and the development of low-collateral-damage weapons with scalable effects.[14](https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/pentagon-releases-first-ever-policy-on-civilian-harm-reduction) In a widely reported December 2025 incident, a follow-on strike against two survivors of an initial boat strike in U.S. counter-narcotics operations was carried out with an AGM-176 Griffin, the smaller missile chosen for the second engagement.[15](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/11/frank-bradley-boat-strike-survivors/)
## References
1. [AGM-176 Griffin, Air & Space Forces Magazine](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/agm-176-griffin/)
2. [Raytheon AGM/BGM-176 Griffin, Designation-Systems.net](https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-176.html)
3. [MK 60 Griffin Missile System (GMS), United States Navy Fact Files](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2167883/mk-60-griffin-missile-system-gms/)
4. [Standoff Precision Guided Munitions briefing (SOPGM)](https://swx-strapi-events-images.s3.amazonaws.com/SOPGM_for_ALM_CE_0a74bef7f4.pdf)
5. [Raytheon marks delivery of 2000th Griffin missile, February 5, 2014](https://raytheon.mediaroom.com/index.php?item=2514&s=43)
6. [More Griffins, Please, Air & Space Forces Magazine, November 10, 2014](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/more-griffins-please/)
7. [Raytheon demonstrates Griffin Block III missile, February 19, 2014](https://raytheon.mediaroom.com/index.php?item=2523&s=43)
8. [Raytheon's AGM-176 Griffin Mini-Missile, GlobalSecurity.org](https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/agm-176.htm)
9. [Benchmark 'Dragon Spear' program earns William J. Perry Award, AFSOC](https://www.afsoc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/162816/benchmark-dragon-spear-program-earns-william-j-perry-award/)
10. [New AC-130J completes first test flight, Eglin Air Force Base](https://www.eglin.af.mil/News/Article/814350/new-ac-130j-completes-first-test-flight/)
11. [AC-130J Ghostrider Fact Sheet, AFSOC](https://www.afsoc.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/2547234/ac-130j-ghostrider/)
12. [ISR Strike: The Evolution of the RCAF's Sense Capability](https://cfc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/api/collection/p22012coll3/id/8638/download)
13. [AGM-176 Griffin, Air & Space Forces Magazine 2025 Almanac weapons section](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/07/Almanac2025_Weapons_V2.pdf)
14. [Pentagon Releases First-Ever Policy on Civilian Harm Reduction, Lawfare](https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/pentagon-releases-first-ever-policy-on-civilian-harm-reduction)
15. [How Adm. Frank Bradley decided to kill two boat strike survivors, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/11/frank-bradley-boat-strike-survivors/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Missiles and rocketry › Anti-tank and ground-attack weapons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license