. The program was initiated in 2009 and started along two different tracks. LRASM-A is a subsonic cruise missile based on Lockheed Martin's 500 nm-range
AGM-158 JASSM-ER;
Lockheed Martin was awarded initial development contracts. LRASM-B was planned to be a high-altitude supersonic missile along the lines of the Indo-Russian
BrahMos, but it was cancelled in January 2012. Captive carry flight tests of LRASM sensors began in May 2012; a missile prototype was planned to fly in "early 2013" and the first canister launch was intended for "end 2014". On 1 October 2012, Lockheed received a contract modification to perform risk reduction enhancements in advance of the upcoming flight test of the air-launched LRASM-A version. On 5 March 2013, Lockheed received a contract to begin conducting air and surface-launch tests of the LRASM. On 3 June 2013, Lockheed successfully conducted "push through" tests of a simulated LRASM on the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS). Four tests verified the LRASM can break the canister's forward cover without damaging the missile. On 11 July 2013, Lockheed reported successful completion of captive-carry testing of the LRASM on a
B-1B. flight test with AGM-158Cs at
NAS Patuxent River, September 2024 On 27 August 2013, Lockheed conducted the first flight test of the LRASM, launched from a
B-1B. Halfway to its target, the missile switched from following a planned route to autonomous guidance. It autonomously detected its moving target, a unmanned ship out of three in the target area, and hit it in the desired location with an inert warhead. The purpose of the test was to stress the sensor suite, which detected all the targets and only engaged the one it was told to. Two more flight tests were planned the year, involving different altitudes, ranges, and geometries in the target area. Two launches from vertical launch systems were planned for summer 2014. The missile had a sensor designed by
BAE Systems. The sensor is designed to enable targeted attacks within a group of enemy ships protected by sophisticated air defense systems. It autonomously located and targeted the moving surface ship. The sensor uses advanced electronic technologies to detect targets within a complex signal environment, and then calculates precise target locations for the missile control unit. On 17 September 2013, Lockheed launched an LRASM Boosted Test Vehicle (BTV) from a Mk 41 VLS canister. The company-funded test showed the LRASM, fitted with the Mk 114 rocket motor from the
RUM-139 VL-ASROC, could ignite and penetrate the canister cover and perform a guided flight profile. In January 2014, Lockheed demonstrated that the LRASM could be launched from a Mk 41 VLS with only modified software to existing shipboard equipment. On 12 November 2013, an LRASM scored a direct hit on a moving naval target on its second flight test. A
B-1B bomber launched the missile, which navigated using planned waypoints that it received in-flight before transitioning to autonomous guidance. It used onboard sensors to select the target, descend in altitude, and successfully impact. On 4 February 2015, the LRASM conducted its third successful flight test, conducted to evaluate low-altitude performance and obstacle avoidance. Dropped from a
B-1B, the missile navigated a series of planned waypoints, then detected, tracked, and avoided an object deliberately placed in the flight pattern in the final portion of the flight to demonstrate obstacle-avoidance algorithms. In August 2015, the Navy began load and fit checks of an LRASM mass simulator vehicle on an F/A-18 Super Hornet. Initial airworthiness flight testing of the LRASM simulator with the Super Hornet began on 3 November 2015, with the first flight occurring on 14 December, and load testing completed on 6 January 2016. On 4 April 2017, Lockheed announced the first successful release of the LRASM from an F/A-18 Super Hornet. On 26 July 2017, Lockheed was awarded the first production award for the air-launched LRASM;
low-rate initial production Lot 1 includes 23 missiles. On 27 July 2017, Lockheed announced they had successfully conducted the first launch of an LRASM from an angled topside canister using a Mk 114 booster, demonstrating the missile's ability to be used on platforms lacking vertical launch cells. On 17 August 2017, the LRASM conducted its first flight test in a production-representative, tactical configuration. The missile was dropped from a
B-1B Lancer, navigated through all planned waypoints, transitioned to mid-course guidance and flew toward a moving maritime target using inputs from its onboard sensor, then descended to low altitude for final approach, positively identifying and impacting the target. The weapon was successfully fired against multiple targets on 13 December 2017, by a
B-1B flying over the Point Mugu Sea Range. In May 2018, a second flight test, involving two LRASMs, was successfully completed. In December 2018, the LRASM was integrated on the USAF's
B-1 Lancer, reaching
initial operational capability. The missile achieved early operational capability on Navy Super Hornets in November 2019. In 2020, The US Navy began plans to integrate the LRASM on the
Boeing P-8 Poseidon. In February 2021, U.S. Navy and Air Force awarded a $414 million contract to Lockheed Martin for continued production of the air-launched variant of LRASM, now operational on the U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F and U.S. Air Force B-1B. In September 2024, the U.S. Navy completed an initial flight test of the F-35C carrying the LRASM, followed in March 2025 by an initial flight test of the F-35B carrying the missile. ==Foreign interest==