June 2 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has received a $413.8 million contract for Lot 15 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles -- Extended Range, or JASSM-ER.
The contractor will deliver 360 missiles, along with engineering and testing equipment. The work is to be performed in Orlando, Fla.
The contract is a sole-source acquisition and the program is expected to be completed by August 21, 2020.
"We have focused our efforts on enhancing the capabilities of this formidable and highly reliable missile for U.S. and allied war fighters," Jason Denney, program director of Long Range Strike Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said in a press release. "Lot 15 and future production lots will benefit from the enhancements and the many affordability initiatives we are executing."
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The JASSM-ER is a conventional long-range surface-to-ground precision guided missile. It has over twice the range of the original JASSM, which gives it the ability to strike targets while allowing launching aircraft to stay out of range of enemy air defences.
It has a range of over 575 miles and carries a 1000-pound blast fragmentation warhead. It is GPS guided and includes an infrared seeker. The missile is designed to be resistant to jamming systems that interfere with the signals sent by GPS satellites.
It can be mounted on the B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers, along with the F-16 and F-15E fighter aircraft. It has been certified with Royal Australian Air Force and is expected to be widely exported. It is intended to be a primary weapon of the F-35 Lightning II multirole fighter.
