USAF in “very preliminary” discussions on successor for AGM-158

The U.S. Air Force is in “very preliminary” discussions on fielding a successor for the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM).

U.S. Air Force Major Jacob Rohrbach, a pilot assigned to the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, releases the first Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range, or JASSM-ER, from an F-16 over the Gulf of Mexico on September 19th, 2018. The test gathered data on safe separation and software integration of the JASSM-ER, and demonstrated the Eglin test range’s ability to monitor and control test items in flight over the Gulf of Mexico.
Photo by Master Sgt. Michael Jackson

Brig. Gen. Heath A. Collins, head of the service’s armament directorate, told reporters that a timetable for the effort will be looked at “in the years to come.”

While this is happening, the service is ramping up production of the AGM-158. Manufacturer Lockheed Martin recently built a new production facility in Troy, Alabama to cater to the increase in production.

In its final fiscal 2021 budget, the Air Force acquired 400 missiles while purchasing 390 in 2020. In its budget for 2022, the service requested 525.

But for the AGM-158C LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile), the service only has a “small ramp-up” planned. This is due to the target set that was determined by Air Staff.

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