The Air Force’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile stealthy cruise missile performed well in a series of 16 flight tests earlier this year to characterize the weapon system’s reliability, Lockheed Martin, the missile’s maker, announced May 5. “The system’s performance in this latest test series was outstanding,” said Randy Bigum, vice president of Strike Weapons at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. During these tests, the JASSM “demonstrated its capabilities” across a variety of targets, including hardened, underground bunkers and air defense systems, the company said. The success of these flights, which took place in February, was a prerequisite for the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s decision, announced May 2, to allow production of the baseline JASSM and development of variants to continue. The decision came after a Congressionally mandated review of the JASSM program that was triggered by cost increases due to major programmatic changes, but also included a look into the missile’s performance after a string of flight test failures in the spring of 2007.
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American.
