The Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin some $208.5 million for Lot 9 production of 200 JASSM cruise missiles. Of the order, 170 missiles will be in the baseline configuration and 30 will be in the extended-range format, said Lockheed officials Wednesday. This lot is the first to include JASSM-ER production units; extended-range missile production will commence in mid 2012 at the company’s plant in Troy, Ala., they said. The Lot 9 contract follows the Defense Acquisition Board’s decision in January that authorized JASSM-ER to proceed into low-rate initial production. The Air Force awarded the first $162.7 million installment on April 4 for 95 baseline and 30 extended-range missiles, which have more than two-and-a-half times the range of the baseline variant. On May 9 came the addition of $45.8 million for 75 more baseline missiles. With this lot, the Air Force has ordered more than 1,300 JASSMs.
Army Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, head of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, warned that Russia would remain an enduring threat to NATO and global security, regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine.