Brussels, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The 2,000-pound AGM-158 JASSM is a stealthy, low-cost GPS/IIR-guided cruise missile. It attacks well-defended targets without exposing its carrier aircraft to modern long-range surface-to-air missile systems. Reliability difficulties have plagued JASSM’s development. Poor test results threatened its termination in 2005. By May 2009, the show looked to be nearing cancellation again after a roller coaster in 2007. The USAF resumed manufacturing after Lots 7 and 8 in FY 2010, thanks to test findings, and the missile is already receiving export orders. Let’s learn more about the AGM-158 JASSM.
What is the AGM-158 JASSM?
The JASSM series of missiles are guided by a mix of GPS and INS locations while in flight and Imaging Infrared (IIR) for precise targeting at their ultimate destination. They travel at a subsonic speed and have a body form that was meant to have a very low radar profile. On board, they contain a dual-mode penetrator and a blast fragmentation warhead.
The United States military plans to acquire more than 5,000 missiles from this family. This includes 2,400 JASSMs and 2,978 JASSM-ERs. It seems that manufacturing of the AGM-158 JASSM will end around the fiscal year 2021, while orders for the AGM-158B JASSM-ER will keep the production line operating into the late 2020s and potentially even beyond that. Our customers include countries such as the United States of America, Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, and Poland.
AGM-158 JASSM Specifications
The JASSM-ER has a range of roughly 1,000 kilometres, which is much more than the normal JASSM’s range of 370 kilometres. Because their airframes are similar, it is impossible to differentiate between the two weapons based on their look. The key changes include a bigger internal fuel tank and a much more efficient turbofan engine. The airframe has an angular shape, much like the Taurus KEPD 350, although more rounded and flowing. When the missile is carried by aeroplane, the fins and wings fold into a more compact configuration. These configurations are then released from their folded state using tiny explosive charges.
Both versions have a length of 4.26 meters, a diameter of 0.55 meters, a height of 0.45 meters, an expanded wingspan of 2.7 meters, and a launch weight of 1,023 kilograms. The JASSM is equipped with a 432-kilogram WDU-42/B warhead of the penetrating and explosion fragmentation type. The ER variation of the missile is propelled by a turbofan engine, in contrast to the turbojet engine that powers the standard weapon version. In addition to an infrared seeker for terminal guidance, the missile is directed by an INS/GPS unit originally designed for the JDAM and JSOW bombs. Additionally, it features three-dimensional targeting simulations of the desired targets, with the capacity to store eight of these models inside each missile. According to the Air Force, the missile has a level of accuracy within 3 m CEP.
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Additional Specifications
The B-1B Lancer, the B-2 Spirit, the B-52H Stratofortress, the F-15E Strike Eagle, the F-16C/D, the F/A-18C/D, and maybe even the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in the future will all be equipped with the JASSM. The B-1B and the F-15E can be armed with the improved JASSM-ER.
The B-1B is regarded as the beginning point platform since it can carry a maximum of 24 missiles. The B-2 and the B-52H can carry missiles, although the B-2 can carry up to 16 while the B-52H can carry 12. Although it is possible for fighter aircraft to carry one missile under each wing, the United States Air Force equipped an F-15E with five JASSMs in May of 2021. If the F-35 were to get certification to carry the JASSM, the weapon would have to be carried externally on the aircraft since it is too large to fit in the F-35’s primary internal weapons bay.
AGM-158 JASSM Use in Warzone
The United States Air Force (USAF) has already acquired over 2,000 JASSMs and might purchase up to 10,000 more. JASSM has been deployed or is under contract in Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, and Poland. U.S. F-16 fighter jets were equipped with more than ten Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) in June 2017 for deployment in South Korea.
The United States first used JASSM in a combat situation in April 2018, when they struck a Syrian facility used to produce chemical weapons for the Assad regime. The attack used 19 JASSM-A missiles. As part of a bigger decapitation attack, the United States launched several JASSM-ER missiles in October 2019 towards the hideaway of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Conclusion
As part of a proof-of-concept exercise at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, five AGM-158 JASSM were installed in an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter plane for the first time. The plane has not yet been to the skies with the five stealthy cruise missiles loaded, but more testing is planned with the intention of more than tripling the Strike Eagle’s previous JASSM load.
