AGM - 158 JASSM The AGM - 158 JASSM ( Joint Air - to - Surface Standoff Missile ) is a low observable standoff cruise missile developed in the United States . It is a large , semi - stealthy long - range weapon of the class . The missile ' s development began in 1995 , but a number of problems during testing delayed its introduction into service until 2009 . The JASSM is now entering service with a number of foreign nations as well , which are Australia and Finland . An extended range version of the missile , the AGM - 158B JASSM - ER ( Joint Air - to - Surface Standoff Missile - Extended Range ) , is under development and is expected to deploy in 2013 . Program Overview . Origins . The JASSM project began in 1995 after the cancellation of the AGM - 137 TSSAM project . The TSSAM was designed as a high precision stealthy missile for use at stand - off ranges , but poor management of the project resulted in rising costs . Since the requirement for such weapons still existed , the military quickly announced a follow - up project with similar goals . Initial contracts for two competing designs were awarded to Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas in 1996 , and the missile designations AGM - 158A and AGM - 159A were allocated to the two weapons . Lockheed Martin ' s AGM - 158A won and a contract for further development was awarded in 1998 . The AGM - 158A is powered by a Teledyne CAE J402 turbojet . Before flight the wings are kept folded to reduce size . Upon launch the wings flip out automatically . There is a single vertical tail . Guidance is via inertial navigation with updating from a global positioning system . Target recognition and terminal homing is via an imaging infrared seeker . A data link allows the missile to transmit its location and status during flight , allowing improved bomb damage assessment . Reliability has been questionable and the program has been over funded resulting in considerations to drop the program entirely . The warhead is a WDU - 42 / B 450 kg ( 1000 lb ) penetrator . The JASSM will be carried by a wide range of aircraft : the F - 15E , F - 16 , F / A - 18 , F / A - 18E / F Super Hornet , F - 35 , B - 1B , B - 2 and B - 52 are all intended to carry the weapon . Problematic development . In 1999 , powered flight tests of the missile began . These were successful , and production of the JASSM began in December 2001 . The weapon began operational testing and evaluation in 2002 . Late that year , two missiles failed tests and the project was delayed for three months before completing development in April 2003 . Two more launches failed , this time as a result of launcher and engine problems . In July 2007 , a $ 68 million program to improve JASSM reliability and recertify the missile was approved by the Pentagon . A decision on whether to continue with the program was deferred until Spring 2008 . Lockheed agreed to fix the missiles at its own cost and has tightened up its manufacturing processes . On 27 August 2009 , David Van Buren , assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition , said that there would be a production gap for the JASSM while further tests were held . Further tests in 2009 were more successful however , with 15 out of 16 rounds hitting the intended target , well above the 75 % benchmark set for the test . As such JASSM is now cleared for service entry . The United States Air Force plans to acquire up to 3 , 700 AGM - 158 missiles . Meanwhile , the United States Navy had originally planned to acquire 450 AGM - 158 missiles but pulled out of the program in favor of employing the proven SLAM - ER . Foreign sales . In 2006 the Australian government announced the selection of the Lockheed Martin JASSM to equip the Royal Australian Air Force ' s F / A - 18 Hornet fighters . This announcement came as part of a program to phase out the RAAFs F - 111 strike aircraft , replacing the AGM - 142 Popeye stand off missile and providing a long - range strike capability to the Hornets . JASSM was selected over the SLAM - ER since the European Taurus KEPD 350 withdraw from the tender , despite that KEPD 350 was highly rated in the earlier RFP process , due to their heavily involvement in the series preparation for the German Airforce , their troop trials in South Africa and their final negotiations with the Spanish Airforce which finally lead to a contract . As of mid - 2010 the JASSM is in production for Australia and will soon enter service . Finland had also previously planned to purchase JASSM missiles for the Finnish Air Force as part of modernization plans of its F / A - 18 Hornet fleet . However in February 2007 the United States declined to sell the missiles , while agreeing to proceed as planned with other modernization efforts ( the so - called Mid - Life Update 2 , or MLU2 ) . This episode led to speculation in the Finnish media on the state of Finnish - American diplomatic relations . However , in October 2011 the US DSCA announced that they had given permission for a possible sale to Finland . An order , valued 178 . 5 million Euros was placed in March 2012 . JASSM - Extended Range ( JASSM - ER ) . The US Air Force studied various improvements to the AGM - 158 , resulting in the development of the JASSM - Extended Range ( JASSM - ER ) , which received the designation AGM - 158B in 2002 . Using a more efficient engine and larger fuel volume in an airframe with the same external dimensions as the JASSM , the JASSM - ER is intended to have a range of over as compared to the JASSM ' s range of about . Other possible improvements were studied but ultimately not pursued , including a submunition dispenser warhead , new types of homing head , and a new engine giving ranges in excess of . The JASSM - ER has 70 % hardware commonality and 95 % software commonality with the original AGM - 158 JASSM . The first flight test of the JASSM - ER occurred on May 18 , 2006 when a missile was launched from a U . S . Air Force B - 1 bomber at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico . The JASSM - ER is expected to be fully operational and ready to deploy in 2013 . The initial platform for the JASSM - ER will be the B - 1 . While both the original JASSM and the JASSM - ER are several inches too long to be carried in the internal weapons bay of the F - 35 Lightning II , the F - 35 will be able to carry both missiles externally , although this will compromise the aircraft ' s stealth features . The JASSM - ER is also the basis for Long Range Anti - Ship Missile , which is currently a JASSM - ER with new seeker . The Air Force used the B - 1 Lancer to complete a captive carry test of an LRASM to ensure the bomber can carry it , as both missiles use the same airframe . However , the LRASM will not be deployed on the B - 1 . Instead , the Air Force hopes to use LRASM technology , such as receiving target or coordinate updates in - flight , to add to the JASSM and give the B - 1 a maritime role .