Lockheed Martin received a contract for first production of precision-guided, anti-ship standoff LRASM

Lockheed Martin received an $86.5million contract from the US Navy (USN) and Air Force (USAF) for the first production of the air-launched variant of Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM). Low rate initial production Lot 1, which includes 23 missiles and engineering support, is the first of several expected annual production lots that will provide the USN and the USAF with next-generation anti-ship missiles. 

“The first production lot of LRASM brings a new level of capability to both the USAF and the USN,” said Mike Fleming, LRASM Director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “LRASM enables our warfighters to prosecute even the most advanced enemy ships.”

LRASM employs advanced technologies that reduce dependence on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, network links and GPS navigation in electronic warfare environments, thus facilitating the detection and destruction of specific targets within groups of ships. Its enhanced ability to discriminate and conduct tactical engagements from extended ranges will give it a substantial role in ensuring military access to operate in open ocean/blue water.

LRASM was designed to meet the needs of USN and USAF Warfighters in contested environments. It is a precision-guided, anti-ship standoff missile based on the successful Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range (JASSM – ER). Through this new programme, the USN will acquire an early operational capability for the offensive anti-surface warfare Increment I requirement, which will be integrated onboard the USAF’s B-1B in 2018 and the USN’s F/A-18E/F Super HORNET in 2019.

Dr. Alix Valenti