Lockheed Martin successfully tested its AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile (JASSM) on 12 August. The unpowered flight followed an unsuccessful trial in April, when an electrical problem caused the JASSM to plummet to earth without deploying its wings and tail.
The stealth missile was dropped from 15,000ft (4,600m). Its wings and tail deployed and the missile performed a series of manoeuvres replicating an attack profile before it hit the ground.
The flight was the final test in the JASSM risk-reduction programme, and allows engineering and manufacturing development flight testing to begin. The JASSM's next test, to include ignition of its turbojet powerplant, is set for October/November.
Lockheed Martin expects more than $2 billion-worth of orders for 2,400 AGM-158s for the US Air Force and, eventually, for the US Navy. For the time being, the USN is upgrading its AGM-84 SLAM missiles.
Source: Flight International