Free Republic

Japan was given a preview of the stealthy JASSM-ER “standoff” missiles that it is considering purchasing after U.S. officials said air force B-1B strategic bombers launched the weapons Friday for the first time in combat during strikes on the Syrian regime. The new Lockheed Martin Corp. air-launched cruise missile made its battlefield debut in the strikes, when 19 of the missiles were fired outside Syrian airspace by two B-1Bs that had targeted the Barzah Research and Development Center located on the outskirts of Damascus. The firing of the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs), was first reported by The...

The Boeing B-52H is the vintage bomber that just won’t quit, and now the Cold War-era “Stratofortress” is being outfitted with one of America’s newest and longest-range conventional cruise missiles. Lockheed Martin has been put on contract to arm the 54-year-old aircraft – which has outlived many of those who predicted its retirement – with the extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Weapon (JASSM) under a $9.1 million contract announced earlier this month. In a statement to Flightglobal, LM director of long-range strike systems Jason Denney confirms that the B-52 will be updated to carry the turbofan engine-powered cruise missile internally on...