Lockheed Martin announced Monday that its JASSM cruise missile performed successfully in 15 of 16 recent tests shots from Air Force B-52s and F-16s at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., as officially tallied by an independent scoring board. “This successful flight test series verifies JASSM as a reliable weapon system and underscores the Air Force’s and Lockheed Martin’s commitment to the program and to the aircrews who would use these missiles,” said Alan Jackson, Lockheed’s JASSM program director. We reported that same record earlier this month, but based only on preliminary analysis. With the official score in hand, the company said the path is now cleared for the Air Force to award a production contract for Lot 8 missiles. That deal had been placed on hold pending the results of these flight tests, which assessed the reliability of Lot 7 JASSMs.
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.