Breaking News: Australia confirms operational deployment of anti-ship missile LRASM boosting naval strike capabilities.

According to information released by the Australian Government on 21 March 2025, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has successfully conducted a live firing of the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) from an F/A-18F Super Hornet, marking a significant step forward in Australia’s maritime strike capabilities. The test, executed off the coast of California with close support from the United States Navy, confirms that the LRASM is now ready for operational deployment within the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
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The Royal Australian Air Force successfully conducted initial operational testing of the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), marked by a live launch from an F/A-18F Super Hornet. (Picture source: Australia MoD)

This milestone reflects a significant modernization of Australia’s defense posture, especially in the maritime domain. With an investment of $895.5 million to acquire the AGM-158C LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile), the Australian Government aims to close critical capability gaps in long-range strike power. The missile’s integration into the RAAF’s strike fleet extends Australia’s ability to engage maritime targets at distances beyond 370 kilometers, dramatically improving its operational reach and survivability in hostile environments.

The AGM-158C LRASM, developed by Lockheed Martin, is one of the most advanced anti-ship cruise missiles currently in service globally. Designed to counter peer and near-peer naval threats, the LRASM is optimized for use in denied and contested environments—where adversaries may deploy layered air defenses, GPS jamming, and electronic warfare systems. The missile’s semi-autonomous targeting capability allows it to detect, classify, and engage enemy warships using onboard sensors, without heavy reliance on external platforms such as drones, satellites, or long-range radars.

Technically, the LRASM offers an impressive combination of range, lethality, and survivability. It can engage targets at distances exceeding 370 km (over 200 nautical miles), enabling stand-off strike capability from beyond the reach of most shipborne air defense systems. It travels at high subsonic speeds and uses a sea-skimming flight profile to avoid detection by enemy radar and minimize the response window. The missile carries a 450-kg (1,000-pound) penetrator and blast fragmentation warhead, specifically designed to disable or destroy large naval combatants such as destroyers and aircraft carriers.

The LRASM is guided by a sophisticated suite of multi-mode passive sensors, including infrared and electronic support measures (ESM), combined with autonomous targeting algorithms and GPS-aided inertial navigation. This ensures precise mid-course and terminal phase targeting, even in environments where electronic countermeasures are active. Its stealth characteristics, achieved through a low radar cross-section design and the use of radar-absorbing materials, enhance its survivability by reducing the likelihood of detection and interception by advanced enemy air defense systems. Moreover, its onboard targeting systems are capable of independently identifying and prioritizing high-value targets in a group of ships, minimizing the risk of striking decoys or friendly units and ensuring that the missile engages the most critical threats.

These features collectively make the LRASM a formidable weapon in naval combat. It is specifically engineered for high lethality, survivability, and mission assurance in environments where traditional targeting methods may be compromised. Its ability to engage targets autonomously ensures mission effectiveness even when communications and GPS are denied.

In naval combat scenarios, the LRASM delivers strategic value by allowing strike aircraft to remain outside the effective range of an adversary’s ship-based air defenses. This “stand-off” capability enhances aircraft survivability and expands mission flexibility. For instance, Super Hornets armed with LRASM can deliver devastating first strikes against high-value enemy naval assets, such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, or amphibious assault ships, before these targets can retaliate.

For the Australian Defence Force, the LRASM offers more than just extended range—it provides a decisive edge in shaping regional deterrence and defense. In the Indo-Pacific region, where maritime access and sea control are vital to national security, the ability to strike enemy vessels at long distances is crucial. With growing naval competition and rising strategic tension in areas such as the South China Sea and the Western Pacific, Australia’s acquisition of the LRASM enhances its capacity to protect sea lines of communication, support joint and coalition operations, and defend national interests in blue-water and littoral environments.

Moreover, the successful test, supported by platforms such as the E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets, and the U.S. Navy’s P-8A Poseidon, demonstrated the ADF’s ability to conduct complex joint and allied maritime strike operations. This level of integration underscores Australia’s commitment to building a highly interoperable, technologically advanced force capable of working seamlessly with allies in multi-domain conflict scenarios.

As the Australian Government continues its $28–35 billion investment over the next decade to enhance long-range strike and precision targeting across the defense portfolio, the LRASM stands as a cornerstone of that strategy. It delivers not only a powerful maritime strike weapon but also reinforces Australia’s strategic autonomy and its role as a credible regional security actor.

The LRASM gives the Australian Defence Force a powerful, survivable, and precise maritime strike capability, vital for deterring aggression, defending maritime approaches, and contributing to regional stability in a rapidly evolving Indo-Pacific security environment.