An F-15E launched a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile over White Sands Missile Range, N.M., in a recent test. The missile then successfully destroyed the intended target, thereby completing the integration of the stealthy cruise missile on the multirole fighter, announced Lockheed Martin, the missile’s maker. “The F-15E is the sixth platform for this reliable and high-performing cruise missile,” said Lockheed Martin’s JASSM Program Director Alan Jackson in the company’s July 26 release. “JASSM on the F-15E will enhance that tactical fighter’s capabilities by broadening the range of options available,” he added. The F-15E-JASSM integration marked the first time that the Air Force has added a missile to an aircraft’s weapon’s portfolio using the Universal Armament Interface, according to Lockheed Martin. UAI is designed to simplify the integration without major changes to the aircraft’s operational flight program software. JASSM is also cleared for use on B-1s, B-2s, B-52s, F-16s, and Australian F/A-18s.
Advancements in commercial space technology could make President Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense network far more likely to succeed than the failed “Star Wars” strategic umbrella initiative of the 1980s, U.S. Space Command’s top general said May 22....