The U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin [LMT] successfully completed a production-configuration Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) flight test on Dec. 8 to complete another program milestone, the service said Tuesday.
In the test, an Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber crew simultaneously launched two LRASMs against several moving maritime targets for the first time over Point Mugu Sea Test Range, Calif.
The company noted the missiles met the primary test objectives, including impacting the targets.
LRASM is a precision anti-ship standoff missile based on the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range for use in contested environments to discriminate and destroy specific maritime targets in groups of ships. It relies on technologies limit dependence on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms; network links; and GPS navigation in electronic war environments.
“The completion of this test marks another significant accomplishment for the innovative team of government and industry professionals committed to fielding dominant surface warfare capability on an accelerated timeline,” Capt.Todd Huber, LRASM program manager, said in a statement.
“This continued success with LRASM provides confidence in its upcoming early operational capability milestone, putting a proven, unmatched munition into the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force inventories,” David Helsel, LRASM program director at Lockheed Martin, added.
LRASM early operational capability (EOC) is planned for 2018 on Air Force B-1 Lancers and 2019 on Navy F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets.
The Navy and Lockheed Martin previously conducted the first LRASM free flight launch on August (Defense Daily, Aug. 18). Lockheed Martin first won an $86.5 million award for 23 low-rate initial production (LRIP) Lot 1 units in July (Defense Daily, July 27).