Efforts to integrate the missile with the carrier-based variant of the advanced F-35 stealth fighter underscore the military's push to expand its anti-ship capabilities across new platforms. The military has acknowledged an increasing need for these capabilities, particularly as rivals like China strengthen their navies.
The F-35 doesn't have a dedicated anti-ship missile, making the LRASM a valuable addition. The AGM-158C LRASM is a stealthy precision-guided, air-launched cruise missile that has been in service since 2018.
The goal now appears to be readying the weapon for the F-35, an increasingly prominent fifth-gen fighter. LRASM is the anti-ship variant of the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and can already be launched from Air Force B1 bombers and Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets.
As part of ongoing integration efforts, the Pax River F-35 Integrated Test Force (Pax ITF) team flew two days of test flights to evaluate flutter, loads, and flying qualities with two AGM-158 loaded on external stations.
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