Air Force, Lockheed Martin finalize $818 million JASSM-ER contract

The Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin an $818 million contract to produce 790 extended-range variants of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER), according to a notice the Defense Department released today.

Under the agreement, Lockheed will provide 360 missiles in Lot 17 and 390 missiles in Lot 18 to the service, along with 40 missiles to support foreign military sales programs. Work will be performed in Orlando, FL, and is scheduled to be finished before November 2024.

The contract marks the third to solely account for the upgraded weapon, which offers more than twice the range of JASSM. Next year's award for 400 missiles is expected to be the first one to pay for Lockheed’s new "D" JASSM-ER variant that enhances the weapon's lethality and survivability even further.

The Air Force revealed in the fall the program is looking to scale up production to a maximum of 10,000 JASSMs and wants to eventually reach a rate of 500 missiles per lot. Lockheed is opening a new facility in Troy, AL, to accommodate the higher manufacturing levels.