USAF Upgrades B-52 Weapons Bay to Carry Smart Weapons

Sixty-one years since the type’s first flight, the US Air Force is upgrading the weapons bays of the Boeing B-52 to carry satellite-guided conventional munitions.
A crew of Boeing and US Air Force technicians installed a prototype of the new weapons bay launcher in a B-52 at Edwards AFB, California.
The prototype modifies a rotary launcher intended to carry nuclear weapons to carry conventional weapons.
The initial version will allow the B-52 to carry satellite-guided Boeing joint direct attack munitions internally.
Future upgrades should give the bomber the ability to carry stand-off munitions, such as the Lockheed Martin AGM-158 joint air to surface standoff missile (JASSM) and the Raytheon ADM-160 miniature air-launched decoy, Boeing says.
The B-52 carries such so-called “smart” weapons on wing-mounted pylons now. Moving the weapons into the internal bays should reduce fuel consumption by 15%.
It also means the B-52 can carry eight more cruise missiles inside the weapons bay.
flightglobal

USAF approves AGM-158B JASSM-ER Full Rate Production

The USAF has approved full-rate production (FRP) for the Lockheed Martin AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile - Extended Range (JASSM-ER)for 2017.
The USAF received the autonomous, stealthy cruise missile into its arsenal early this year following Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) flight testing in 2013. The low-rate initial production (LRIP) lots 11 and 12 of the JASSM contract awarded in December 2013 included 100 ER missiles; LRIP 13 and 14 are still being negotiated but are expected to include more than 100 ER missiles. Lockheed Martin's production line can accommodate up to 360 missiles per year and is expected to begin doing so in 2017.
JASSM-ER has more than two-and-a-half times the range of the baseline AGM-158A JASSM, meaning it can be launched from outside of defended airspace and the coverage of long-range surface-to-air missiles, and is intended for use against high-value, well-fortified, fixed and re-locatable targets.
The baseline JASSM is integrated on the Boeing (Rockwell) B-1, the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, the Boeing F-15E Eagle, and internationally, on the Royal Australian Air Force's Boeing F/A-18A/B Super Hornet. The JASSM-ER is integrated only on the B-1B Lancer, but there are efforts under way for F-15E, F-16, and B-52 integration.
As the Pentagon shifts emphasis from the Middle East to the Pacific, the JASSM-ER combined with the B-1 is seen as a crucial weapon for providing combatant commanders the ability to hold at risk targets behind sophisticated air defences from long ranges. The stealthy, supersonic B-1 will be able to carry up to 24 JASSM-ERs; twice the number of baseline JASSMs carried by the B-52. JASSM releases can be either mission planned against fixed targets or retargeted dynamically in flight with waypoints, a feature unique to the B-1.
janes

JASSMs To Equip Polish F-16s

Poland has signed a deal with Lockheed AGM-158 joint air-to-surface standoff missiles (JASSMs) for its fleet of 48 F-16 fighter jets.
Poland joins Australia and Finland as the third non-US country to acquire the missiles. The foreign military sale was approved by the US Congress in October.
The missiles will be delivered to Poland’s military from 2016 to 2019. The Polish Air Force will reach initial operational capability with the weapon in March 2017.
defensenews

Poland buys 40 AGM-158As

The US State Department has made a determination approving a possible sale to Poland for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles and F-16 Operational Flight Plan upgrades, associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support.
The Government of Poland has requested a possible sale of 40 AGM-158A Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM), 2 AGM-158A JASSM Live with Test Instrumentation Kit (TIK) and Flight Termination Systems (FTS), 2 AGM-158A JASSM Inert with TIK and FTS, and 2 Flight Certification Test Vehicles. Also included: Operational Flight Plan upgrade to M6.5 tape for the Polish F-16C/D Block 52 aircraft to include JASSM integration, missile containers, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment.
dsca

USAF begins fielding JASSM-ER

The USAF has received into operational service the Lockheed Martin AGM-158B Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile - Extended Range (JASSM-ER).
JASSM-ER has more than two and a half times the range of the standard AGM-158A JASSM on which it is based, meaning it can be launched from outside of defended airspace and the coverage of long-range surface-to-air missiles, and is intended for use against high-value, well-fortified, fixed and relocatable targets.
Currently the JASSM-ER is only integrated onto the Rockwell B-1B Lancer bomber, but there are efforts underway for it also to be fitted to the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle, Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon and Boeing B-52H Stratfortress.
janes

Lockheed Makes Progress On Next Generation Anti-Ship Missile

Lockheed Martin has demonstrated that its Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) can be launched from the Mk-41 vertical launch system with only software modifications.
Lockheed tested with the new weapon with the Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS), MK 41 VLS and Mk-114 rocket booster with the new software during company-funded trials.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)—which is funding the overall LRASM effort—hopes to award Lockheed a sole-source contract for continuing development of the weapon next month according to a notice posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website on Dec. 20, 2013.
According to the notice, the contract will run for 24 months and will further the weapon’s sensor and avionics hardware development. DARPA will fund two further surface-launch LRASM tests in August and October 2014.
The LRASM, which is based on Lockheed’s stealthy AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range cruise missile, is being designed to give U.S. Navy surface warships the ability to “out-stick” enemy warships armed with advanced long-range anti-ship missiles.
Currently, only some Navy warships are armed with the Harpoon missile, which is greatly out-ranged by weapons used by potential adversaries such as the Russian-developed SS-N-22 Sunburn also known as the Raduga P-270 Moskit.
Lockheed officials expect that the LRASM—which can also be air-launched–will transition into a production program by 2018 with weapon being integrated onto the U.S. Air Force’s B-1 bomber and the Navy’s F/A-18 Hornet.
In recent months, Navy leaders have renewed calls for more modern anti-surface weapons.
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Romania – Weapons, Equipment, and Support for F-16 Block 15 MLU Aircraft

The Government of Romania has requested a possible sale of weapons, equipment, and support for 12 F-16 MLU Block 15 aircraft that will be procured through a third party transfer from Portugal. Articles and services will include:

• 13 Embedded Global Positioning Systems/Inertial Navigation Systems (EGPS/INS) with GPS Security Devices, Airborne
• 3 AN/ALQ-131 Electronic Countermeasure Pods
• 30 AIM-120C Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM)
• 5 AIM-120C Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs)
• 60 AIM-9M Sidewinder Missiles
• 4 AIM-9M CATMs
• 48 LAU-129 Launchers
• 10 GBU-12 Enhanced Guided Bomb Units
• 18 AGM-65H/KB Maverick Missiles
• 4 AGM-65 CATMs
• 15 Multifunctional Information Distribution System/Low Volume Terminals
• 2 Multifunctional Information Distribution System Ground Support Systems

Also included are spare and repair parts, support equipment, tanker support, ferry services, repair and return services, software development/integration, test and equipment, supply support, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical data, U.S. Government and contractor technical services, and other related elements of logistics and program support.
The proposed sale will support the Romanian Air Force’s (RoAF) efforts to equip and utilize the 12 F-16 aircraft it is procuring from Portugal.
dsca

Lockheed Martin conducted the first flight of stealthy AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (Jassm-ER)

Lockheed Martin has conducted the first flight test of a prototype anti-ship weapon based on its stealthy AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (Jassm-ER).
The flight was conducted on Aug. 27 under the joint Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) and Office of Naval Research (ONR) Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) program.
LRASM is developing a stealthy, survivable missile that can autonomously engage specific enemy warships at long range, in heavy electronic countermeasure without help from intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets.
Graham Warwick-aviationweek

South Korea claims JASSM cannot be installed on F-15K

South Korea’s plan to acquire the AGM-158 JASSM for its F-15K has hit a snag after officials claim that the missile cannot be fitted on the left side of the aircraft.

koreatimes