By Marina Malenic
An extended-range variant of the stealthy Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) recently completed two successful test flights at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., raising JASSM-ER’s record to 10 successes out of 11 flights.
The first JASSM-ER missile was released from an altitude of 13,000 feet and a speed of 0.72 Mach, while the second missile was released from 30,000 feet at 0.88 Mach, according to prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT].
Col. Steve Demers, the Air Force’s JASSM program manager, said he is now “confident JASSM-ER is ready for production.”
The Milestone C low-rate initial production (LRIP) decision is scheduled for Dec. 2, with contract award for 30 JASSM-ER missiles expected in January, according to the company. The Initial Operational Test & Evaluation phase, comprising 16 flights, is scheduled for the second quarter of 2011, with deliveries beginning in late 2012.
JASSM-ER is an autonomous, air-to-ground, precision-guided standoff missile with more than two-and-a-half times the range of the baseline JASSM.
The baseline variant, which has weathered testing difficulties, is expected to be ready for deployment early next year, Demers has said.
After several test failures and cost growth, the Pentagon last year threatened to terminate the program unless a new round of tests demonstrated significantly better reliability. Last summer, the missile succeeded in 15 of 17 tests.
The Air Force eventually expects to acquire 4,900 JASSMs and JASSM-ERs, officials have said.
The ER variant is 75 percent common with the baseline version in its hardware and 95 percent common in its software, according to officials. The unique ER subsystems passed final reviews in April.
In January, Lockheed Martin was awarded a $245 million Lot 8 production contract for 160 more baseline JASSMs. Over 1,200 units have been purchased to date.
JASSM has been demonstrated on the B-1, B-2, B-52 and F-16 aircraft. Future platforms include the F-15E, F/A-18 and F-35.