MELBOURNE, Fla., May 9 (UPI) -- Harris Corp. said Tuesday it had received a contract to provide the weapons data link (WDL) for the U.S. JASSM ER stealth cruise missile.
The WDL is the critical interface that allows the low-profile weapon to home in on time-critical targets and let commanders know exactly where the JASSM ER (Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile - Extended Range) is at any given time.
The JASSM ER is designed for launch from Air Force F-16s, B-52s and several other warplanes against high-value hardened and soft targets from a safe distance of as much as 500 nautical miles. The payload is about 240 pounds of high explosives.
Analysts note that the weapon has been promising enough that the Air Force and Navy plan to purchase several hundred units in the coming years.
Florida-based Harris will design, produce and test the data link under the two-year, $10 million contract awarded by Lockheed Martin.
"We are pleased that Lockheed Martin has selected Harris to supply the data link transceiver for JASSM ER," said Harris Group President Dan Pearson. "Harris has a legacy of successfully developing weapon data links, and the JASSM WDL will incorporate the very latest in Software Defined Radio (SDR) and encryption technology."
The WDL transceiver is a two-way link allowing beyond-line-of-sight communications between U.S. controllers and the conventional cruise missile. The miniaturized device fits into the JASSM's stealthy airframe while still allowing for tracking and mid-flight course changes that will send the weapon to different targets.
The WDL technology was included in the Pentagon's recent Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration, which focused on the electronic messages incorporated into the JASSM ER program.
