Lockheed Martin has just declared the extended range Joint Air-to-air Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER) operational on the F-15E Strike Eagle. The JASSM-ER’s range of greater than 500 nautical miles is three times further than the standoff distance of the original JASSM.

Lockheed Martin’s (NYSE: LMT) Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) – Extended Range (ER) achieved full operational capability on the F-15E Strike Eagle, flown by the U.S. and allied nations’ air forces.

With completion of integration and the fielding of JASSM-ER’s Suite 8 Operational Flight Program, the F-15E Strike Eagle becomes the first Universal Armament Interface (UAI)-compliant platform to field JASSM-ER. UAI-compliant aircraft feature standardized interfaces to support future weapon integration.

“Fielding on the F-15E Strike Eagle expands JASSM-ER’s mission flexibility,” said Jeffrey Foley, program director of Long-Range Strike Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “With its greater than 500 nautical-mile standoff range and planned block upgrades currently in work, JASSM-ER provides an impressive tactical advantage for U.S. and allied warfighters.”

Baseline JASSM was the first missile ever to be integrated onto a UAI platform. The U.S. Air Force Seek Eagle Office led the F-15E Strike Eagle JASSM-ER and JASSM integration.

Armed with a penetrating blast-fragmentation warhead, JASSM-ER and JASSM can be used in all weather conditions. They share the same powerful capabilities and stealth characteristics, though JASSM-ER has more than two-and-a-half times the range of JASSM for greater standoff distance. These highly accurate cruise missiles also employ an infrared seeker and enhanced digital anti-jam GPS to dial into specific points on targets.

Effective against high-value, well-fortified, fixed and relocatable targets, JASSM-ER is also integrated on the B1-B and currently in the process of integration on the F-16C/D and the internal bay and wings of the B-52H. JASSM is integrated on the U.S. Air Force’s B-1B, B-2, B-52, F-16 and F-15E. Internationally, JASSM is carried on the F/A-18A/B, F-18C/D and F-16 Block 52 aircraft. Produced at the company’s manufacturing facility in Troy, Alabama, more than 2,150 JASSMs have been delivered.

Source: Lockheed Martin