Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $116.8 million contract by the US Air Force (USAF) for continued production of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER), the company announced on 21 April.
This contract, which includes 100 JASSM-ER missiles, exercises an option in the Lot 14 contract. Work related to this contract option will be complete by June 2019. It brings the total number of JASSM-ER and JASSM missiles delivered or under contract to over 2,700.
Jason Denney, program director of long-range strike systems, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said: ‘JASSM and JASSM-ER offer affordable, survivable, stand-off lethality needed for today’s modern threats.’
JASSM is a long-range, conventional, air-to-ground, precision standoff missile designed to destroy high-value fixed and re-locatable targets. It is a 2,000lbs class weapon with a penetrator/blast fragmentation warhead. It uses precision routing and guidance using an infrared seeker and anti-jam GPS.
JASSM-ER and JASSM share the same characteristics and capabilities, though JASSM-ER’s range is two-and-a-half times more than that of JASSM. Both missiles can be used in all weather conditions.
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