Lockheed Martin announced Thursday that its JASSM cruise missile performed successfully during its most recent flight test on Jan. 12 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Company spokeswoman Heather Kelly said a B-52 bomber released the missile which then “successfully navigated through a preplanned route before destroying its intended target.” This product upgrade verification flight test, designated PUV-8, continued the company’s successful efforts “to expand missile capability and exceed reliability requirements,” she said. The test validated the performance of upgraded electronic subassemblies. The Air Force wants the JASSM to attain a 90 percent reliability rate by the time of lot 11 production. The company just received the contract for lot 8 (see JASSM Contract Let). Kelly said JASSM is “achieving a reliability rate in the high 80 percent” in tests to date. And the extended-range JASSM has a 100 percent track record in its flights so far.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.