U.S. and Netherlands officials formalized a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LoA) agreement to purchase Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER). With this agreement, the Netherlands becomes JASSM’s fifth international customer. The latest generation of JASSM-ER includes enhancements to hardware and software, providing increased capabilities and more flexible options to match the warfighter’s evolving mission sets. The combat proven and mission effective weapon system is designed to destroy high-value, well-defended targets from significant standoff range, keeping aircrews well out of danger from hostile air defense systems without compromise to lethality or reach.
“We’re honored to partner with the U.S. Government to provide the Netherlands Armed Forces with the combat proven and mission effective weapon system to meet their ever-evolving strategic defense needs.” said Scott Redmerski, JASSM program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
The US Air Force studied various improvements to the AGM-158, resulting in the development of the JASSM-Extended Range (JASSM-ER). Using a more efficient engine and larger fuel volume in an airframe with the same external dimensions as the JASSM, the JASSM-ER is intended to have a range of over 575 mi (925 km) as compared to the JASSM’s range of about 230 mi (370 km). The JASSM-ER has 70% hardware commonality and 95% software commonality with the original AGM-158 JASSM. The initial platform for the JASSM-ER is the B-1.[44] While both the original JASSM and the JASSM-ER are several inches too long to be carried in the internal weapons bay of the F-35 Lightning II, the F-35 will be able to carry both missiles externally, which would compromise the aircraft’s stealth features.
The AGM-158 JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) is a low detection standoff air-launched cruise missile developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States Armed Forces. It is a large, stealthy long-range weapon with a 1,000-pound (450 kg) armor piercing warhead. It completed testing and entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 2009, and has entered foreign service in Australia, Finland, and Poland as of 2014. JASSM has experienced over 20 years of successful partnership with the U.S. Air Force, providing continued significant long-range, precision engagement capabilities for air-to-ground missions. An extended range version of the missile, the AGM-158B JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range), entered service in 2014 as well as an anti-ship derivative, the AGM-158C LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile), in 2018. By September 2016, Lockheed Martin had delivered 2,000 total JASSMs comprising both variants to the USAF.
