Lockheed Martin received a contract award for AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) and AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) to increase production capacity of JASSM and LRASM in support of critical weapons capacity for the United States and allies. This contract is part of the Large Lot Procurement pilot program with the U.S. government and enables the ability to increase annual production quantities by providing additional resources for long-lead procurements and facilitating production line efficiencies. Multi-year procurements of critical munition systems like JASSM and LRASM are a key anti-fragility measure to increase industry resilience and ensure operations can be ramped more quickly going forward. Lockheed Martin will continue to partner with the U.S government to build a stronger and more resilient defense industrial base.
“For over 20 years, we have partnered with the U.S. Government on the delivery of long-range, sophisticated cruise missiles for our warfighters,” said Dave Berganini, vice president, Hypersonic and Strike Systems, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “With this contract, we can accelerate deliveries of these 21st Century Security® solutions at the quantities needed to deter, and when necessary, defend against adversaries.”
Ahead of contract award, Lockheed Martin has invested in the continued development, expansion and production of JASSMs and LRASMs in support of critical munitions supply. In 2022, Lockheed Martin added a new 225,000-square-foot intelligent factory to existing production facilities to begin increasing production quantities. The new facility includes factory model forecasting, a fully-robotic paint line, and more automated processes. As members of the AGM-158 family of cruise missiles, AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) and AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) provide unique deterrent solutions, as well as significant long-range, highly survivable, and lethal capabilities to the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy.
The AGM-158 JASSM 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. 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 in 2018. The LRASM was intended to pioneer more sophisticated autonomous targeting capabilities than the U.S. Navy’s current Harpoon anti-ship missile, which has been in service since 1977.
