Lockheed Martin is hoping to develop an extended range (ER) AGM-158 JASSM stand-off missile as early as next year, following USDepartment of Defense approval for low rate initial production (LRIP) of the standard JASSM low observable cruise missile.
The US Air Force wants funding in fiscal year 2003 for its Extended Range Cruise Missile requirement, which aims to field a weapon in 2010. Lockheed Martin is promoting JASSM ER as an alternative to a lightweight version of the Block IIIA AGM-86 conventional air-launched cruise missile likely to be developed by Boeing.
Larry Lawson, Lockheed Martin vice president strike weapons, says JASSMER would have at least twice the 215nm- (400km) plus range of the AGM-158 - an increase achieved partly by using a more fuel-efficient 700lb-thrust (3.1kN) turbofan (possibly the Block III Tomahawk's Williams F107 engine), rather than the Teledyne J402-100turbojet.
JASSM is scheduled to attain asset-available status with the USAF by 2003, with the missile earmarked for the Boeing B-52H, the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D and the Northrop Grumman B-2.
This will be followed by the Rockwell B-1, which will carry up to 24 missiles on its internal rotary launchers, compared to the B-2's 16. Talks are also under way on changes to the weapons bay of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to accommodate JASSM.
Next year Lockheed Martin will start integrating the missile with the Boeing F/A-18E/F for the US Navy, which is hoping to field its first AGM-158s in 2006. Limited naval work has been completed including flight-deck and environmental-compatibility and electro-magnetic interference testing.
Meantime, the company hopes to start work on integrating the JASSM on to Australia's F/A-18s and General Dynamics F-111s. JASSM has been selected by Australia as its stand-off weapon, and Lockheed Martin hopes to have a contract in place this year.
Source: Flight International
