US orders Lot 20 JASSM-ER missiles
JASSM-ER missile launched from an F-16 in September 2018. (Photo: USAF/Master Sgt Michael Jackson)
Lockheed Martin will produce 94 extended-range JASSM missiles for the USAF.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control has been awarded a $97.34 million Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) contract modification from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.
The company will supply 94 Lot 20-production AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range (JASSM-ER) missiles with containers, the DoD announced on 4 November.
Work will be performed at two US locations for completion by 30 June 2026. The modification brings the cumulative value of the contract to $536.51 million.
JASSM is an air-launched, precision standoff cruise missile able to attack fixed and relocatable targets alike at ranges beyond enemy air defences. In late October 2021, Lockheed Martin received a contract modification to replace control actuation components on the AGM-158A JASSM missile.
JASSM-ER has a more fuel-efficient turbojet engine from Teledyne with greater fuel capacity, increasing the standoff range of the missile by 250% to beyond 500nmi.
Customers include the US and Poland, while Shephard understands that Finland could also receive the missile if it chooses the F-35 in the HX fighter competition.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Norway revitalises effort to acquire a tactical-class UAV with $103 million competition]()
Norway revitalises effort to acquire a tactical-class UAV with $103 million competition
Norway first scoped the requirement in 2022, and included it in a defence strategy document in 2023. The announcement of a new framework agreement appears to have breathed fresh life into the effort.
-
![March Drone Digest: Long-range, low-cost loitering munitions are changing warfare economics]()
March Drone Digest: Long-range, low-cost loitering munitions are changing warfare economics
The effective use of the Shahed-136 in the Iran war has highlighted the need for countries to acquire a domestically produced, low-cost, long-range loitering munition, with the US, Turkey and European nations all at various stages of developing a similar capability.
-
![Franco-German alliance aims to resolve FCAS woes by end of April as dispute rolls on]()
Franco-German alliance aims to resolve FCAS woes by end of April as dispute rolls on
The disagreement between French-German industry continues as both governments work to keep the programme alive and on track to develop and deliver a sixth-generation fighter jet.
-
![US Air Force is eyeing cost-effective automated counter-drone solutions]()
US Air Force is eyeing cost-effective automated counter-drone solutions
The USAF is seeking on-the-move systems, subsystems or technologies capable of defending airbases and fixed and semi-fixed sites against small drone attacks.
-
![Long-range drone acquisition axed as Norway announces $11.75 billion spending uplift]()
Long-range drone acquisition axed as Norway announces $11.75 billion spending uplift
Norway’s funding boost will help the country reach 3.5% of GDP on defence spending by 2035, with autonomous systems part of the long list of priorities alongside frigate acquisition and development of a new Finnmark Brigade.
-
![Dormant helicopter programmes in Africa and Asia present opportunities]()
Dormant helicopter programmes in Africa and Asia present opportunities
Growing capability gaps caused by ageing Soviet-era platforms in Africa and Asia are creating opportunities, as disrupted supply chains and sanctions open the door for Western manufacturers to expand into these markets.
