US Air Force Moving Forward with Lockheed's JASSM-XR missile development.

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a US$51 million contract for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extreme Range (JASSM-XR) development and testing, the US Department of Defense stated on September 10, 2018.

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle flies with a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER)
(Credit: U.S. Air Force)

According to the Pentagon, this contract effort includes "all all-up round level systems engineering and programmatic activities to align and phase the work necessary to design, develop, integrate, test, and verify component and subsystem design changes to the JASSM-XR baseline electronics, hardware, firmware, and operational flight software." 

The JASSM-XR will also include preparation for final all-up round integration, system-level ground and flight testing, qualification, and incorporation into a future production baseline engineering change proposal. This effort will concurrently mature a new missile control unit and necessary hardware and infrastructure to support future JASSM-XR production cut in. 

"Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2023.  This award is the result of sole-source acquisition. (...) Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity," the US DoD added.

Lockeed has been working on an "Extreme Range" variant of its AGM-158 JASSM since 2004. The company then entailed a stealthy, 5,000 pound-class weapon that can fly out to 1,000 nautical miles to deliver a lethal payload up to 2,000 pounds precisely on target.