By Zachary Keck
Lockheed Martin conducted the second successful test of the new Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) it is developing for the U.S. Navy and Air Force. The missile will be crucial in the U.S. military’s efforts to defeat Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) strategies, including China’s in the Asia-Pacific.
According to a press release published on Thursday, a U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber carrying the LRASM flew from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas to the Sea Range at Point Mugu, California where it “released the LRASM, which navigated through all planned waypoints receiving in-flight targeting updates from the Weapon Data Link. After transitioning to autonomous guidance, LRASM identified the target using inputs from the onboard sensors. The missile then descended for final approach, verified and impacted the target.”
The LRASM is a DARPA and U.S. Navy-funded program meant to provide the Navy and U.S. Air Force with an offensive anti-surface weapon (OASuW) to counter the growing threats from Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) doctrines. It is one of the major alternatives for the OASuW that is being considered.
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