With China, Russia in Mind, Pentagon Adding Stealthy Cruise Missiles
The Pentagon is boosting its stockpile of a stealthy long-range cruise missiles that might be critical in a war with China or Russia.
The demand for the weapon — called the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, or JASSM (pronounced jazz-’em) — is so high that it has prompted manufacturer Lockheed Martin to break ground in May on a new 225,000-square-foot production factory in Alabama. Lockheed is also working to upgrade and further improve the missile.
“JASSM will see significant growth,†Lockheed CFO Ken Possenriede said on the company’s July 23 second-quarter earnings call with investment analysts.
U.S. Defense Department budget and acquisition documents show the Pentagon is planning to increase its JASSM buy from 4,900 weapons to 7,200. The increase was first mentioned in the Pentagon’s 2020 budget request, sent to Congress in March, and mentioned again in an annual assessment of weapon programs sent to lawmakers last week. The Air Force plans to buy more than 1,500 missiles over the next five years and another 2,000-plus in the years after that, according to budget documents.
https://www.govexec.com/defense/2019/08/china-russia-mind-pentagon-adding-stealthy-cruise-missiles/158965/
