The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile extended-range variant has completed the Air Force’s initial operational test and evaluation flight testing, announced manufacturer Lockheed Martin on Monday. During these tests, the stealthy cruise missile performed successfully in 20 of 21 flights, according to the company’s May 13 release. “These flight tests demonstrate the operational effectiveness, suitability, and overall mission capability of the JASSM-ER system,” said Dave Melvin, Lockheed Martin’s long-range strike systems program manager. Launched from the B-1B bomber, testers put the missile through the paces “against a wide variety of operationally representative targets” and “in all of the operational flight modes at the full range of release conditions,” states the release. A full-rate production decision for JASSM-ER is expected later this year, said Melvin. (See also JASSM-ER Operational Testing Nears Completion.)
A recent seven-day exercise sent Air Force F-22s—along with other USAF aircraft—to austere, challenging environments across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Agile Reaper, taking place for the second time after its inaugural edition last year, featured 800 Airmen and 29 aircraft across five different locations from April 10-16, training…