JASSM-ER released successfully from B-2 bomber during test

By Shelley K. Mesch / August 26, 2022 at 1:22 PM

The B-2 Spirit Stealth bomber successfully released a long-range missile during a test, contractor Northrop Grumman announced Thursday.

In a December test, a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) was released from the platform, according to a company news release.

It is one of three efforts by Northrop to modernize the nuclear-capable platform. The contractor is also integrating crypto modernization and a Radar Aided Targeting System, or RATS.

“The unrivaled capabilities of the B-2 make it the only long-range, penetrating stealth bomber currently in the U.S. arsenal,” said Shaugnessy Reynolds, vice president and B-2 program manager at Northrop Grumman. “Committed to continued modernization of the B-2, we’re leveraging our company’s innovation in digital engineering and its decades of leadership in designing and maintaining low-observable platforms to keep the B-2 Spirit mission-ready.”

RATS integration is a “key element of the nuclear modernization,” according to the release, because GPS may not be available to use during missions. With the integration, the B-2 is able to fully employ the B61-12 nuclear bomb.

The crypto modernization will improve communications security for the platform, according to the release.

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