The U.S. State Division has made a dedication approving a attainable Overseas Navy Sale to the Authorities of Australia of Joint Air-to-Floor Standoff Missiles – Prolonged Vary (JASSM ER) and associated gear for an estimated price of $235 million. The Authorities of Australia has requested to purchase eighty (80) Joint Air-to-Floor Standoff Missiles – Prolonged Vary (JASSM ER) (AGM-158B with telemetry kits and/or AGM-158B-2 configurations). Additionally included are missile containers; assist gear; JASSM coaching missiles; weapon system assist; spare components, consumables, equipment, and restore/return assist; integration and take a look at assist and gear. The proposed sale will enhance Australia’s functionality to fulfill present and future threats by offering superior, long-range strike methods for employment from Royal Australian Air Power (RAAF) air platforms.

The AGM-158 JASSM (Joint Air-to-Floor Standoff Missile) is a low observable standoff air-launched cruise missile developed by Lockheed Martin for the US Armed Forces. It’s a giant, stealthy long-range weapon with a 450-kilogram (1,000 lb) armor piercing warhead. It accomplished testing and entered service with the U.S. Air Power in 2009, and has entered overseas service in Australia, Finland, and Poland as of 2014. An prolonged vary model of the missile, the AGM-158B JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Floor Standoff Missile-Prolonged Vary), entered service in 2014. By September 2016, Lockheed Martin had delivered 2,000 whole JASSMs comprising each variants to the USAF.

Commercial

AGM-158 JASSM (Joint Air-to-Floor Standoff Missile)

The US Air Power studied varied enhancements to the AGM-158, ensuing within the growth of the JASSM-ER, which acquired the designation AGM-158B in 2002. Utilizing a extra environment friendly engine and bigger gasoline quantity in an airframe with the identical exterior dimensions because the JASSM, the JASSM-ER is meant to have a variety of over 925 km (575 mi) as in comparison with the JASSM’s vary of about 370 km (230 mi). The JASSM-ER has 70% {hardware} commonality and 95% software program commonality with the unique AGM-158 JASSM. The primary flight take a look at of the JASSM-ER occurred on Might 18, 2006 when a missile was launched from a U.S. Air Power B-1 bomber on the White Sands Missile Vary.

On 14 Might 2015, the top of the Air Power Analysis Laboratory nominated the JASSM-ER because the optimum air car to hold the Counter-electronics Excessive Energy Microwave Superior Missile Challenge (CHAMP) payload. CHAMP is an digital warfare expertise that fries digital gear with bursts of high-power microwave power, non-kinetically destroying them. The JASSM-ER was chosen as a result of it’s an operational system, so CHAMP is to be miniaturized into the operationally related system. In September 2021, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison introduced that Australia would purchase the JASSM-ER for the Royal Australian Air Power (RAAF)’s Boeing F/A-18F Tremendous Hornet and Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighters. The principal contractor might be Lockheed Martin, Orlando, FL.

A B-2 launching a AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles - Extended Range (JASSM ER).
A B-2 launching a AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Floor Standoff Missiles – Prolonged Vary (JASSM ER). (Picture by U.S. Air Power)