Lockheed Martin was awarded an additional DARPA contract for continued development of the LRASM system.
Lockheed Martin has received a $71 contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for a long-range anti-ship missile (LRASM) modification to conduct air- and surface-launched flight tests and other risk reduction activities. Under this contract, an additional air-launched LRASM flight test will be conducted from a B-1B in 2013. There are already two air-launched flight tests scheduled for this year as part of the Phase 2 LRASM contract awarded in 2010. The contract also includes two surface-launched LRASM flight tests scheduled for 2014. Risk reduction efforts, such as electromagnetic compatibility testing of the missile and follow-on captive carry sensor suite missions, are also included in the contract.
LRASM is an autonomous, precision-guided anti-ship standoff missile developed for the US Navy and Air Force. Armed with a proven penetrator and blast-fragmentation warhead, the missile cruises autonomously in all weather conditions. It employs a multi-modal sensor, weapon data link, and enhanced digital anti-jam Global Positioning System (GPS) electronics to detect and destroy specific targets within a group of ships.