The Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin two production contracts worth up to $449 million for Lots 11 and 12 of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and its extended range variant. The contract includes production of 340 baseline missiles and 100 JASSM-ERs, as well as systems engineering, logistics support, tooling, and test equipment, states a Jan. 9 company release. “These contracts bring the total number of JASSM cruise missiles on contract to over 2,100, and underscore the US Air Force’s and Lockheed Martin’s commitment to the program,” said Jason Denney, program director of long range strike systems at Lockheed. The contract award follows a $34 million foreign military sales contract to integrate JASSM on to Finland’s F-18C/D aircraft. JASSM is integrated onto USAF B-1B, B-2, B-52, F-16, and F-15Es. The B-1B also carries the JASSM-ER.
U.S. munitions have been expended at a high rate during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, prompting concerns that the Pentagon is eating into weapons stockpiles it needs to deter threats around the world. Yet the newly released $1.5 trillion defense budget request was developed before the war against Iran and…