AGM-158C LRASM
The AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is a precision-guided, stealthy anti-ship cruise missile developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States Navy and Air Force, derived from the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) to enable autonomous interdiction of surface threats at very long standoff ranges.[1][2]
It incorporates semi-autonomous navigation, advanced target discrimination algorithms, and low-observable features to penetrate sophisticated air defense environments, operating effectively in all weather conditions and without dependency on GPS, networks, or real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support amid electronic warfare threats.[1][2]
Deployable from multiple air platforms including the B-1B Lancer, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-35B/C, P-8 Poseidon, and F-15, the LRASM achieved early operational capability with the U.S. Air Force to address urgent anti-surface warfare needs and continues integration efforts, such as recent flight tests on the F-35, while surface-launched variants are under development to enhance distributed lethality across naval forces.[1]
Development and Testing
Origins and Program Initiation
The Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) program originated as a joint initiative between the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Navy to address critical deficiencies in anti-surface warfare capabilities amid evolving threats from advanced peer competitors. In June 2009, DARPA awarded Lockheed Martin an initial contract valued at approximately $9.7 million for a two-phase demonstration effort focused on developing next-generation anti-ship technologies capable of operating in highly contested environments.[3][4] This program responded to the recognized shortcomings of legacy systems such as the AGM-84 Harpoon, which exhibited insufficient range, limited survivability against sophisticated integrated air defenses, and vulnerability in anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) scenarios prevalent in open-ocean and littoral operations.[5][6] The program's rationale emphasized the need for a precision-guided weapon that could engage time-critical, heavily defended maritime targets at standoff distances, leveraging autonomy to reduce reliance on continuous external cues and thereby enhance penetration of dense electronic warfare environments. DARPA and the Navy sought to counter the proliferation of advanced naval assets, including large surface action groups from adversaries like China, which had expanded capabilities in carrier operations and A2/AD networks.[7][6] To accelerate development and minimize risk, the LRASM was designed as a derivative of the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile - Extended Range (JASSM-ER), adapting its proven low-observable airframe and propulsion for anti-ship roles while incorporating specialized sensors and algorithms for maritime target discrimination.[8] This approach capitalized on the JASSM-ER's established manufacturing base and operational maturity to meet stringent requirements for long-range, autonomous navigation and attack in GPS-denied conditions.[9]Flight Testing and Milestone Achievements
Initial flight testing of the AGM-158C LRASM commenced with captive carry missions on a U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber conducted by the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, culminating in successful completion announced on July 11, 2013.[10] These tests validated the missile's integration and aerodynamics under flight conditions without release. Following separation demonstrations, the first powered air-launch flight test occurred in early September 2013, during which the LRASM successfully separated from the B-1B, ignited its engine, navigated to a low altitude, and impacted a designated target.[11] A subsequent test on November 12, 2013, marked the second successful flight, with the missile launched from a B-1B achieving a direct hit on a moving naval target after autonomous navigation and target discrimination among multiple surface vessels. The third flight test on February 4, 2015, further demonstrated end-to-end capabilities, including sustained low-altitude flight profiles and real-time obstacle avoidance, confirming the missile's ability to evade threats while maintaining precision en route to the target area.[12] [13] By March 2018, LRASM had completed its sixth consecutive successful air-launched firing trial, paving the way for operational integration.[14] The U.S. Air Force declared early operational capability (EOC) for the B-1B platform in December 2018, ahead of the original schedule, enabling limited combat deployment of the missile.[15] [16] The U.S. Navy followed suit, achieving EOC on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in November 2019, also ahead of plan, after rigorous validation of carrier-based launch and recovery compatibility.[17] [16]Evaluation of Performance Metrics
The AGM-158C LRASM has undergone multiple live-fire tests against surrogate ship targets, confirming its ability to execute precision strikes with direct impacts on moving naval vessels. These evaluations highlight the missile's reliability in achieving accurate terminal guidance, leveraging onboard sensors for target acquisition in dynamic maritime conditions. Successful outcomes in such tests, including recent operational firings like the Royal Australian Air Force's February 2025 demonstration from an F/A-18F Super Hornet, underscore consistent performance without reported deviations in hit execution.[18] LRASM's guidance system exhibits jam-resistant characteristics through integrated GPS/INS navigation and multi-mode seekers, enabling sustained operation amid electronic warfare jamming attempts. In simulated high-threat environments, the missile's semi-autonomous algorithms facilitate target discrimination, distinguishing valid threats from decoys or non-hostile vessels using onboard processing rather than continuous external links. This adaptability reduces vulnerability to adversarial countermeasures, as validated in contested domain scenarios where reliance on ISR platforms or networks is minimized.[2][19] A key 2024 evaluation, the U.S. Navy's Integrated Test Event 12 conducted on April 3, integrated four LRASMs in simultaneous flight to assess end-to-end lethality across the kill chain, from mission planning to target effects realization. This test affirmed the weapon's high reliability and minimal need for human intervention, with all objectives met in a representative high-threat setup simulating coordinated strikes. The demonstration emphasized autonomous path planning and terminal phase execution, confirming effective destruction potential against surface threats under degraded communication conditions.[20]Design and Technical Features
Airframe, Propulsion, and Range
The AGM-158C LRASM employs an airframe adapted from the AGM-158B JASSM-ER, incorporating low-observable contours for reduced radar cross-section. Measuring 14 feet (4.3 m) in length with a body diameter of 25 inches (0.64 m), the missile has a wingspan of approximately 8 feet 10 inches (2.7 m) when deployed and an air-launched weight of around 2,500 pounds (1,134 kg).[1][8][21] Propulsion is supplied by a Williams International F107-WR-105 turbofan engine, delivering subsonic speeds optimized for fuel efficiency and extended endurance. This configuration yields a baseline operational range exceeding 200 nautical miles (370 km), enabling standoff launches while supporting efficient cruise and limited loiter for dynamic targeting scenarios.[22][21][8] The compact, stealth-compatible design facilitates internal carriage within weapons bays of low-observable platforms like the F-35, minimizing impact on the host aircraft's survivability during high-threat transits.[1][5]Guidance, Autonomy, and Sensor Suite
The AGM-158C LRASM features a multi-mode passive radio frequency (RF) seeker developed by BAE Systems, enabling detection and classification of surface targets within cluttered maritime environments without active emissions that could compromise the missile's low-observable profile.[23][24] This seeker supports wide-area search for high-value targets, followed by precision terminal guidance to designated aim points, enhancing lethality against defended ships.[25] Onboard artificial intelligence enables advanced autonomy, including autonomous route replanning to evade detected threats, dynamic avoidance of air defenses, and prioritization of targets from pre-loaded mission databases without requiring real-time external inputs.[26][27] These algorithms allow the missile to independently identify, select, and engage valid targets in electronic warfare-denied scenarios, reducing reliance on launch platform or network connectivity.[5] Navigation combines a jam-resistant GPS-aided inertial navigation system (INS) for primary en-route guidance with a radar altimeter for low-altitude terrain-following operations.[8][28] An integrated two-way data link permits optional mid-course updates from the launch platform or offboard sensors, further insulating the system against GPS spoofing or jamming in anti-access/area-denial environments.[5][29]Stealth, Countermeasures, and Lethality Enhancements
The AGM-158C LRASM employs low-observable design principles, including stealth shaping of its airframe and the application of radar-absorbent materials, to achieve a significantly reduced radar cross-section (RCS) compared to conventional anti-ship missiles. These features, inherited and enhanced from the AGM-158B JASSM-ER baseline, minimize detectability by integrated air defense systems (IADS), particularly X-band and higher-frequency radars used for terminal targeting, while also reducing infrared signatures to evade heat-seeking defenses.[30] In peer-level threat environments, such as those posed by advanced surface-to-air missile batteries, this low RCS enables the missile to approach targets at extended standoff ranges without triggering early intercepts.[31] Countermeasure capabilities emphasize passive operation to avoid emissions that could reveal the missile's position or enable jamming. The sensor suite includes a multi-mode passive radio frequency (RF) receiver developed by BAE Systems for wide-area target acquisition, supplemented by electro-optical and infrared imaging sensors that operate without active radar transmissions.[23] This passive sensing allows evasion of electronic warfare threats by detecting and geolocating enemy emitters autonomously, while an enhanced digital anti-jam GPS and weapon data link provide resilient navigation updates without reliance on vulnerable network links.[8] Autonomy algorithms further support countermeasures by enabling the missile to discriminate real targets from decoys or chaff through multi-spectral cueing, reducing susceptibility to spoofing in contested electromagnetic environments.[16] Lethality enhancements center on a 1,000-pound (454 kg) penetrating blast-fragmentation warhead optimized for anti-ship strikes, capable of breaching hulls and igniting internal compartments on capital ships.[16] Flight tests, including a April 2024 demonstration involving four simultaneous launches, have validated the warhead's effects against surrogate maritime targets, confirming precision impact and high-end lethality from mission planning through terminal phase under controlled conditions.[32] The warhead's design prioritizes penetration against armored superstructures and sustained damage despite active defenses or decoy deployments, with empirical data from integrated tests showing reliable target discrimination and defeat in group ship scenarios.[33] These attributes ensure effectiveness against peer adversaries' surface fleets, where warhead yield and fuze programming are tuned for maximum structural disruption over area saturation.[5]Variants and Upgrades
Baseline AGM-158C-1 Configuration
The AGM-158C-1 is the baseline production variant of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), designed primarily for air-launched maritime strike operations against heavily defended surface targets. Derived from the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER), it features an uprated power system, a new weapon data link for in-flight retargeting, and a multi-mode passive radio frequency sensor suite including an imaging infrared seeker and altimeter to enable autonomous target discrimination without GPS reliance.[8][34] These enhancements distinguish it from the land-attack focused JASSM parent by prioritizing anti-ship lethality, stealth penetration, and resistance to electronic warfare.[5] In February 2024, the U.S. Navy decided to eliminate a planned land-attack mode for the AGM-158C, redirecting resources to refine its core anti-ship performance and avoid redundancy with existing JASSM capabilities.[26] This configuration achieved initial fielding with the baseline AGM-158C, followed by over 320 AGM-158C-1 missiles placed under contract by fiscal year 2024, with 125 baseline units delivered to the U.S. Navy and Air Force.[35] By 2025, full-rate production of the AGM-158C-1 is underway at Lockheed Martin's facilities in Troy, Alabama, incorporating automated manufacturing processes to support ramped-up output amid escalating demand for precision anti-ship munitions.[36][37] The missile weighs approximately 1,250 kg, measures 4.27 m in length, and achieves a range exceeding 200 nautical miles while maintaining low-observable characteristics for survivability in high-threat environments.[38][34]