Lockheed receives $37.7M contract for JASSM-ER missile development

July 19 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has received a $37.7 million contract action for the continued development of a new wing design for the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range, the company announced on Wednesday.

The new wing design will provide greater range for the JASSM-ER, which currently can strike targets more than 550 miles away.

"We've developed a novel design that provides additional standoff range to further increase pilot survivability in an Anti-Access-Area Denial threat environment," Jason Denney, program director for Lockheed's Long Range Strike Systems, said in a press release.

"Our customers trust our already proven design and we look forward to enhancing its capabilities for warfighters."

The JASSM is a long-range air-launched cruise missile with a stealthy radar-evading airframe. It uses an infrared seeker and GPS guidance to autonomously strike fixed targets at long ranges with a 1,000-pound penetrating blast warhead.

The standard model can be mounted on most Air Force and Navy fighters and bomber aircraft, while the JASSM-ER is currently deployed on the B1B Lancer heavy supersonic bomber. The ER version is being adapted for use with other aircraft.