ORLAND, Fla., June 10 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin reports a $34.2 million contract to support integration of its Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile onto Finland's F-18C/D fighters.
The award is a Foreign Military Sales contract, and the second for the Finnish Air Force under a program involving Finland and the U.S. Air Force and Navy.
"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. "We are on schedule to support the operational requirements of the Finnish Air Force's F-18 mid-life upgrade effort."
Under the new contract, Finland will also receive test missiles, software development and engineering documentation.
Lockheed said airworthiness activities associated with the order will be conducted at U.S. Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., while flight testing will be performed at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, Calif.
JASSM is an autonomous, air-to-ground, precision-guided missile with a penetrator and blast fragmentation warhead. It uses an infrared seeker and enhanced digital, anti-jam Global Positioning System.
Finland is Lockheed's second international customer for the JASSM system.
