US Navy taps Lockheed Martin for LRASM Integration on F-35

The U.S. Navy is looking to tap Lockheed Martin Corporation's Missiles Fire Control (MFC) unit for Integrating the Long Range Anti-ship Missile (LRASM) on the F-35.
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The Naval Air Systems Command released a pre-solicitation notice on July 7th, seeking sources for integrating the U.S. Navy’s Long Range Anti-ship Missile (LRASM) on the F-35 platform. The notice states that NAVAIR plans to negotiate and award a sole source delivery order for a Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) to Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Missiles Fire Control (MFC). 

According to the notice Lockheed Martin “will support the F-35 Tactical Missile Operational Flight Program (MOFP) development. LMMFC shall develop and deliver a build of tactical MOFP that is compatible with F-35 and backward compatible with legacy aircraft platforms, including F/A-18, B-1, and P-8.”

F-35 LRASM Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin unveiled this artist impression showing a F-35 fighter fitted with two LRASM at SNA 2021.

News of possible JASSM-ER and LRASM integration on the F-35 goes back to 2018 and has been known for years now, but little was known about when this would begin. During the 2021 Surface Navy Association symposium, Lockheed Martin unveiled artist impressions of an F-35 equipped with two LRASMs. Naval News contacted Lockheed Martin to ask about the unveiling and the progress of the integration if one was happening.

Lockheed Martin officials stated that they had completed initial fit checks for both JASSM-ER and LRASM at the time of the unveiling, and expected planned integration efforts to continue into the year. Congress also allocated funds for the integration effort later that year in the FY22 budget.

LRASM is currently integrated on the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which cleared Early Operational Capability (EOC) with the missile in December 2019, and on the U.S. Air Force’s B-1B Lancer, which cleared EOC with the missile in 2017. Aside from these platforms, the missile is being integrated on the P-8A Poseidon, the progress of which Naval News reported on earlier this year, and on the U.S. Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress.

About the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-ship Missile.

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer releases the Navy’s Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) during a test event Dec. 8 off the coast of California. (U.S. Navy photo)

The LRASM is an anti-ship missile derived from the U.S. Air Force’s AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM ER). Originally funded under DARPA, the missile won the Navy’s Offensive Anti-surface Warfare Increment I (OASuW) competition. The OASuW program was initiated to address an Urgent Operational Need for a capable anti-ship missile for US forces in the Pacific area.

LRASM incorporates advanced technologies that allow the missile to be employed in contested environments that are more difficult for existing anti-ship missiles. The missile is equipped with a BAE Systems passive Radio Frequency (RF) seeker on top of the existing Infrared seeker carried over from the JASSM-ER. 

The passive RF seeker allows it to detect and home in on ships at long ranges using its Electromagnetic (EM) emissions. The infrared seeker takes over once the missile is close enough and allows it to determine optimal aim points for the target, these aim points are stored internally on the missile. When combined, these capabilities allow LRASM to be used with minimal prior or follow-on reconnaissance support.

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