Lockheed Martin received a $34.2 million foreign military sales contract from the Air Force to support additional integration of the autonomous, precision guided Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile onto the Finnish air force’s F-18C/D aircraft. This contract includes test missiles, software development, and engineering documentation, states the company’s June 10 release. Airworthiness activities will occur at NAS Patuxent River, Md., followed by flight testing at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, Calif. “JASSM’s capabilities and proven reliability will play an essential role in assisting the Republic of Finland to achieve their national defense objectives,” said Bob Adams, international program manager of long-range strike systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. The first contract was awarded in 2012, which initiated the six-year integration, production, and sustainment effort. The program is a joint effort between the Air Force, Navy, Lockheed Martin, and the Finnish air force.
Lockheed Martin projects more than a billion dollars of losses on a classified program, but company officials said April 23 they are confident it will turn profitable by 2028 and become a "franchise" system in the U.S. military.