JASSM-ER has more than two-and-a-half times the range of JASSM for greater standoff distance
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has placed a $390 million contract to buy 360 JASSM-ER cruise missiles from Lockheed Martin.
Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2021.
Noteworthy the Pentagon announced on Sep. 10 that it has given Lockheed Martin $51 million contract to develop the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extreme Range (JASSM-XR)
The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile–Extended Range (JASSM-ER) has been integrated onto the F-15E Strike Eagle last February.
The F-15E is the first Universal Armament Interface (UAI)-compliant platform to field JASSM-ER. UAI-compliant aircraft feature standardized interfaces to support future weapon integration.
“Fielding on the F-15E Strike Eagle expands JASSM-ER’s mission flexibility,” said Jeffrey Foley, program director of Long-Range Strike Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “With its greater than 500 nautical-mile standoff range and planned block upgrades currently in work, JASSM-ER provides an impressive tactical advantage for U.S. and allied warfighters.”
Baseline JASSM was the first missile ever to be integrated onto a UAI platform. The USAF Seek Eagle Office led the F-15E Strike Eagle JASSM-ER and JASSM integration.
Armed with a penetrating blast-fragmentation warhead, JASSM-ER and JASSM can be used in all weather conditions. They share the same powerful capabilities and stealth characteristics, though JASSM-ER has more than two-and-a-half times the range of JASSM for greater standoff distance. These highly accurate cruise missiles also employ an infrared seeker and enhanced digital anti-jam GPS to dial into specific points on targets.
Effective against high-value, well-fortified, fixed and relocatable targets, JASSM-ER is also integrated on the B-1B and currently in the process of integration on the F-16C/D and the internal bay and wings of the B-52H. JASSM is integrated on the USAF’s B-1B, B-2, B-52, F-16 and F-15E. Internationally, JASSM is carried on the F/A-18A/B, F-18C/D and F-16 Block 52 aircraft. Produced at the company’s manufacturing facility in Troy, Alabama, more than 2,150 JASSMs have been delivered.
Photo credit: Lockheed Martin, Courtesy of the U.S. Air Force
