The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $305.4 million contract for the continued roduction of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and the Extended Ranger (ER) version, the company said Thursday.
This contract is for Lot 13 production and includes 140 baseline JASSMSs, data, tooling, and test equipment for U.S. and international partners. This production lot is the largest JASSM-ER order thus far and brings the total missiles under contract to over 2,300, Lockheed Martin said.
Both JASSM and JASSM-ER systems are 2,000-pound cruise missiles that use an infrared seeker and enhanced anti-jam GPS receiver to target specific points. The missiles are armed with a blast-fragmentation warheads. JASSM-ER is distinguished by having over two and a half times the range of JASSM.
“JASSM and JASSM-ER have an important role in the United States’ and its allied partners’ long-term strategic defense plans. The missiles delivered under Lot 13 will provide an effective and more affordable capability against Anti-Access/Area Denial threats, thus providing a strategic deterrent for U.S. and international warfighters,” Jason Denney, program director of long-range strike systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said in a statement.
JASSM has been integrated on to U.S. Air Force B-1B, B-2, B-52, F-16, and F-15E aircraft. The B-1B also carries the JASSM-ER, the company said. JASSM is also carried on international F/A-18A/B and F-18C/D aircraft.
This contract is the fifth production lot for JASSM-ER. It is produced the Lockheed Martin’s Troy, Ala., manufacturing facility.