Story by Yoshihiro Inaba with additional reporting by Xavier Vavasseur
The ASM-3A announcement was made as part of a broader announcement in which the MoD published the “
XASM-3
JASDF F-2 fighter from Gifu air base in a test flight with two ASM-3 missiles in February 2020. Picture by local photographer Takeru Sugiyama.
For the record, Japan started full-scale development of a missile called XASM-3 in FY2010 that can be operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (航空自衛隊, Kōkū Jieitai or JASDF) F-2 fighter jets. The XASM-3 was an air-launched anti-ship missile (ASM) that cruised at supersonic speeds (above Mach 3) thanks to the combination of a solid rocket booster and ramjet engine. It had a range of about 200 km (108 nautical miles).
Australia orders two more P-8A Poseidon aircraft December 30, 2020, by Naida Hakirevic
Australia Air Force’s maritime patrol capability will be boosted with the government set to acquire two more P-8A Poseidon surveillance and response aircraft, bringing the total fleet size to 14.
The government has also approved sustainment funding for the current approved fleet of three MQ-4C Triton aircraft.
Photo: Australian Department of Defence/CPL Craig Barrett
Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon
Linda Reynolds CSC said the announcement is part of the Morrison Government’s AU$270 billion investment in defence capability over the next decade.
“Together, the Poseidon and the Triton will provide Australia with one of the most advanced maritime patrol and response capabilities in the world,” Minister Reynolds said.
The U.S. Military is Running Out of Smart Bombs - And That s a Big Problem
Even if the Pentagon wants more smart bombs, the U.S. defense industry may not be able to provide them.
Here s What You Need To Remember: The United States ability to manufacture these bombs has waned over the last two decades, as crucial parts of their manufacture has moved overseas.
Since the 1980s, smart bombs have become the wonder weapons of modern warfare. One laser- or GPS-guided bomb can hit a target where a dozen dumb bombs from a World War II bomber would have missed.
BAE Systems awarded production contract for additional LRASM seekers
by Robin Hughes
BAE Systems Electronic Systems in Nashua, New Hampshire, in early December disclosed the award from Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control of a USD60 million contract to supply additional seeker systems for the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM).
LRASM is a joint-service (US Navy: USN/US Air Force: USAF) 2400 lb (1088.6 kg) air-launched high-subsonic conventional precision-guided stand-off anti-ship missile derived from the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile - Extended Range (JASSM-ER) weapon system. The AGM-158C retains the JASSM-ER 1000 lb penetrator/blast fragmentation warhead and enhanced digital anti-jam GPS, but introduces a multimode sensor/seeker package developed by BAE Systems (which combines a passive radio-frequency (RF) long-range sensor for wide area target acquisition and an imaging infrared seeker for terminal targeting), and a weapon data link L-Band Unit
US Air Force/Ethan Wagner
Weeks after the Air Force proved it could mount an advanced stealth cruise missile externally on the B-1B Lancer for the first time, it has taken the next step.
In a December 4 test, the Air Force launched an inert AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, known as the JASSM, from the bomber.
Weeks after the US Air Force proved it could mount an advanced stealth cruise missile externally on the B-1B Lancer for the first time, it has taken the next step, test-firing an inert missile from under the B-1 s fuselage.
The 419th Flight Test Squadron out of Edwards Air Force Base, California launched a practice round of the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, known as the JASSM, from the bomber, according to a news release. The news of the test, conducted at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, December 4, was first reported by Defense News.