Lockheed Martin has received an Undefinitized Contracting Action for $37.7 million from the US Air Force for continued development of a new wing design for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range (JASSM-ER).
The new wing design will add greater range to the cruise missile, which currently has a range of more than 500 nautical miles. Analysis on an enhanced wing design began in March 2016.
"We've developed a novel design that provides additional standoff range to further increase pilot survivability in an Anti-Access-Area Denial threat environment," said Jason Denney, program director for Long Range Strike Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Our customers trust our already proven design and we look forward to enhancing its capabilities for warfighters."
The current phase of the design work is progressing as anticipated and is on schedule to be incorporated into production lot 17.
Armed with a penetrating blast-fragmentation warhead, JASSM-ER can be used in all weather conditions. The stealthy 2,000-pound cruise missile employs an infrared seeker and enhanced digital anti-jam GPS receiver to dial into specific points on high-value, well-fortified, fixed and relocatable targets. The B-1B carries JASSM-ER. Integration on other aircraft platforms is ongoing. More than 2,150 JASSM and JASSM-ER missiles have been delivered.