LRASM in flight. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
Lockheed Martin and Thales Australia announced on 22 April that they have finalised a teaming agreement to develop sovereign weapons manufacturing capabilities in Australia.
A notable feature of the agreement is a commitment to deliver an Australian guided weapons manufacturing capability to support a sovereign national guided weapons enterprise.
This capability will be derived from the Lockheed Martin Long Range Anti-Ship Missile – Surface Launch (LRASM SL) ‘with a specific focus on booster and rocket motor technologies’, the two companies stated.
Thales and Lockheed Martin added: ‘This teaming agreement will advance the proven and mature LRASM maritime strike capability across further platforms for the next generation of surface and ground launch domains.’
LRASM is an autonomous, precision-guided anti-ship standoff missile based on the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile - Extended Range, Shephard Defence Insight notes.
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