Lockheed Martin LRASM Scores Again in USAF B-1B Flight (See Video)

By
Tammy Waitt
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Lockheed Martin's Long Range Anti-Ship Missile successfully completed another dual-missile test, demonstrating its ability to provide critical capabilities to warfighters. (Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Lockheed Martin's Long Range Anti-Ship Missile successfully completed another dual-missile test, demonstrating its ability to provide critical capabilities to warfighters. (Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)

The United States has successfully fired two production representative Lockheed Martin Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM) from a U.S. Air Force B-1B.

Over the Sea Range at Point Mugu, California, a U.S. Air Force B-1B from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, released a pair of LRASMs.

The missiles navigated through all planned waypoints, transitioned to mid-course guidance and flew toward the moving maritime target using inputs from the onboard sensors.

The missiles then positively identified the intended target and impacted successfully.

(LRASM is a precision-guided, anti-ship standoff missile based on the successful Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range (JASSM-ER), designed to meet the needs of U.S. Navy and Air Force warfighters in contested environments. Courtesy of Lockheed Martin and YouTube. Posted on Dec 8, 2017)

“The success of this second dual-LRASM test event speaks volumes,” said David Helsel, LRASM program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

“As LRASM moves toward early operational fielding for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, the weapon system continues to demonstrate critical capabilities that our warfighters need.”

Lockheed Martin's Long Range Anti-Ship Missile successfully completed another dual-missile test, demonstrating its ability to provide critical capabilities to warfighters.
The United States has conducted its sixth successful test of a new long-range anti-ship missile. The LRASM (Courtesy of the US Navy)

LRASM was designed to detect and destroy specific targets within groups of ships by employing advanced technologies that reduce dependence on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, network links and GPS navigation in contested environments.

LRASM will play a significant role in ensuring military access to operate in open ocean/blue waters, owing to its enhanced ability to discriminate and conduct tactical engagements from extended ranges.

LRASM is a precision-guided, anti-ship standoff missile based on the successful Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range.

It was designed to meet the needs of U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force warfighters in contested environments.

LRASM technology will reduce dependence on ISR platforms, network links, and GPS navigation in aggressive electronic warfare environments. This advanced guidance operation means the weapon can use gross target cueing data to find and destroy its pre-defined target in denied environments. Precision lethality against surface and land targets ensures the system will become an important addition to the US Navy warfighter’s arsenal. LRASM provides range, survivability, and lethality that no other current system provides. (Courtesy of Lockheed Martin)
LRASM technology will reduce dependence on ISR platforms, network links, and GPS navigation in aggressive electronic warfare environments. This advanced guidance operation means the weapon can use gross target cueing data to find and destroy its pre-defined target in denied environments. Precision lethality against surface and land targets ensures the system will become an important addition to the US Navy warfighter’s arsenal. LRASM provides range, survivability, and lethality that no other current system provides. (Courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

The air-launched variant provides an early operational capability for the U.S. Navy’s offensive anti-surface warfare Increment I requirement to be integrated onboard the U.S. Air Force’s B-1B in 2018 and on the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in 2019.

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