The Lockheed Martin [LMT]-built Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) was successfully jettison released from a U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F in a flight test, the company said Monday.
This first release was used to validate the aerodynamic separation models of the LRASM at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The next step following this test is flight clearance to conduct captive carry integration testing, which is scheduled for mid-year at the Navy Air Weapons Station (NAWS) in China Lake, Calif.
Photo: U.S. Navy
The LRASM is a precision-guided anti-ship standoff missile based on the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range. It is designed to detect and destroy specific targets within groups of ships by using technologies that reduce dependence on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms as well as network links and GPS navigation, Lockheed Martin said.
“The first time event of releasing LRASM from the F/A-18E/F is a major milestone towards meeting early operational capability in 2019. The program is executing the integration and test contract, maturing subsystems and proving flight worthiness,” Mike Fleming, Lockheed Martin LRASM program director, said in a statement.
The LRASSM was designed to meet U.S. Navy and Air Force needs in anti-access/area-denial environments. The air-launched variant is set to be integrated onboard the Air Force’s B-1B in 2018 and the Navy’s F/A-18E/F in 2019.