Netherlands Becomes Fifth International Customer of JASSM-ER Missiles.

On July 29, 2024, U.S. and Dutch officials formalized a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LoA) agreement for the purchase of Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT) Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER). With this agreement, the Netherlands becomes JASSM's fifth international customer.
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The standard JASSM has a range of 370 km while the JASSM-ER can reach 1,000 km, with both variants measuring 4.26 meters in length, weighing 1,023 kg at launch, equipped with a 450 kg WDU-42/B penetrating warhead (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)

"We are honored to partner with the U.S. Government to provide the Netherlands Armed Forces with a combat-proven and effective weapon system to meet their evolving strategic defense needs," said Scott Redmerski, JASSM Program Director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

The latest generation of the JASSM-ER includes hardware and software enhancements, providing increased capabilities and more flexible options to adapt to evolving mission requirements.

JASSM has benefited from over 20 years of successful partnership with the U.S. Air Force, delivering significant long-range, precision strike capabilities for air-to-ground missions. This weapon system, proven in combat, is designed to destroy high-value, well-defended targets from a significant standoff range, keeping aircrews out of reach of hostile air defense systems without compromising lethality or reach.

The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) is a stealthy air-launched cruise missile designed by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Air Force and its international partners. Production began in 1998, and it was declared operational by the U.S. Air Force in 2003. An extended-range version, the AGM-158B JASSM-ER, was developed alongside the standard variant and entered service in 2014.

The standard JASSM has a range of 370 km, while the JASSM-ER can reach approximately 1,000 km. Both variants measure 4.26 meters in length and weigh approximately 1,023 kg at launch. They are equipped with a 450 kg WDU-42/B penetrating warhead and are powered by a turbojet engine for the standard model and a turbofan engine for the ER version.

The JASSM is deployed on various USAF aircraft, including the B-1B Lancer, B-2 Spirit, and F-15E Strike Eagle, among others. Outside the United States, Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, and Poland also use this missile. The JASSM was first used in combat in April 2018 during a strike on Syria's Barzah Research and Development Center. The USAF has purchased over 2,000 missiles, with plans to acquire up to 10,000. The missile is designed to destroy high-value targets while keeping crews out of reach of enemy air defense systems.

This new agreement marks a significant step for defense relations between the United States and the Netherlands, consolidating their strategic partnership and enhancing the Netherlands' military capabilities against increasingly sophisticated threats.