The US military has put scores more ship-killer missiles under contract as Pacific tensions continue A rendering of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile. (Image: Lockheed Martin) WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy and Air Force signed a contract last month for dozens of Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles, a closely watched program that seems to introduce a new sophisticated guidance system into lethal ship-killing missiles. The $414 million deal buys 137 LRASMs, support equipment, systems engineering, logistics and training support, Lockheed Martin spokesman Joe Monaghen said in an email. LRASM has a published range of about 300 nautical miles, is jam resistant, and designed to locate targets with onboard sensors rather than relying on guidance from another source such as a drone’s sensors or another ship. The missile is also difficult to detect.
Pentagon’s weapons tester gives update on Navy’s new long-range anti-ship missile January 14 A Long Range Anti-Ship Missile launches from an Air Force B-1B Lancer during flight testing in August 2013. (U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) WASHINGTON The U.S. Navy’s new Long Range Anti-Ship Missile must go through more rigorous and realistic testing, according to the 2020 annual report from the director of operational test and evaluation. Citing “multiple hardware and software failures” in the first iteration of the LRASM missile, the DOT&E report calls on the Navy to put the new LRASM 1.1 through a rigorous testing process under realistic combat conditions to ensure it will “demonstrate mission capability in operationally realistic environments.”