Jane Edwards
Lockheed Martin has wrapped up two flight tests of the updated Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in order to verify and demonstrate the missile’s GPS anti-jam software and hardware systems.
JASSM missiles launched from B-52 and B-2 bomber aircraft at an altitude of at least 24,000 feet and homed in on targets during the test flights, Lockheed said Wednesday.
The flight tests also aimed to validate JASSM’s functionality in non-jammed and GPS-degraded environments.
JASSM is an air-to-land, long-range standoff missile that works to protect air crews from enemy aerial defense platforms by attacking relocatable and fixed targets.
JASSM flies aboard the U.S. Air Force’s F-15E and F-16 fighter jets and B-52, B-1B and B-2 bomber aircraft as well as on allied forces’ F/A-18A/B and F-18C/D planes.
Lockheed manufactures JASSM cruise missiles at its Troy, Alabama-based facility and has delivered over 2,000 JASSMs.
JASSM and JASSM-Extended Range have a blast-fragmentation warhead, digital anti-jam GPS receiver and an infrared seeker designed to home in on targets.
