US Navy has begun developmental trials of the next generation LRASM anti ship missile. An F/A-18E/F Super Hornet carried a model of the Lo...
An F/A-18E/F Super Hornet carried a model of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) during initial flight testing Nov. 3 at NAS Patuxent River.
The program's flight test team is conducting the first phase of airworthiness testing using this mass simulator vehicle to evaluate inflight structural loads of the LRASM on the F/A-18 E/F.
The LRASM will provide flexible, long-range, advanced, anti-surface capability against high-threat maritime targets. The precision guided anti-ship standoff missile is built by Lockheed Martin.
The weapon reduces dependency on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, network links, and GPS navigation in electronic warfare environments. Semi-autonomous guidance algorithms will allow it to use less-precise target cueing data to pinpoint specific targets in the contested domain.
Early operational capability for the LRASM is slated for 2018 on the U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancer supersonic strategic bomber and 2019 on the U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter.
