The U. S. Armed Forces, in collaboration with the defense industry, are continuing to deploy the latest AGM-158C LRASM anti-ship missiles. Recently, this weapon has reached the stage of initial operational readiness as part of the F / A-18E / F Super Hornet carrier-based fighter armament complex. Thus, now such missiles can be used not only by the Air Force, but also by the Navy.
Promising weapon
The new anti-ship missile has been developed by Lockheed Martin since 2009 with the aim of replacing old samples of a similar purpose. The existing AGM-158B JASSM-ER air-to-surface missile was used as the basis for the AGM-158C LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile) project.
The aim of the project was to adapt the original product for use on a wide range of carriers - on aircraft of various types and on universal launchers of ships. Also, it was necessary to modify the rocket equipment in accordance with the new conditions of use. In particular, the means of navigation and guidance have been redesigned, now capable of working in conditions of opposition from the enemy.
The LRASM product received a multifunctional radar seeker and navigation aids capable of operating without external signals. A penetrating fragmentation warhead weighing 450 kg was used. The flight range is about 500 nautical miles (more than 900 km).
Tests of the AGM-158C rocket began in 2013. Test drops of prototypes and prototypes from carrier aircraft were carried out; the use of the missile on the shipboard installations Mk 41 and Mk 57 was also practiced. Based on the results of such tests, the project moved to new stages.
In the interests of the Air Force
On July 11, 2013, Lockheed Martin, together with the US Air Force, carried out the first test drop of a mock anti-ship missile from a B-1B bomber. On August 27 of the same year, the first full-fledged flight of the rocket took place with the defeat of a fixed surface target. The rocket successfully passed the designated route, reached the target area, found it and hit it.
On November 12, a new launch from the B-1B took place - this time at a moving surface target with previously unknown coordinates and target designation after passing part of the route. Despite the known complexity of such a task, the target was hit. In February 2015, a similar launch was carried out in a more challenging environment. LRASM coped with the task again.
Two tests were carried out in 2017, with the December events providing for the salvo launch of missiles at several targets. In the spring of next year, the tests were declared completed, after which preparations began for the adoption of weapons into service.
In December 2018, the Air Force command announced the completion of a number of necessary procedures. Anti-ship missiles AGM-158C LRASM as part of the armament of the B-1B bomber has reached the stage of initial operational readiness. Now such an aviation complex can be used in real combat operations.
One B-1B can carry 24 missiles on the internal and external sling, which makes it possible to organize massive airstrikes against enemy ship formations. However, the US Air Force has not yet taken advantage of such opportunities. Moreover, it is anyone's guess when LRASM is first used outside of marine ranges.
Rocket for naval aviation
In August 2015, preparations began for future tests of the LRASM missile in the interests of the naval forces. The carrier of such weapons, according to the plans of that time, was supposed to be a carrier-based fighter F / A-18E / F. Tests with simulators of anti-ship missiles started in November, and in December they performed their first flight with a mockup on an external sling. Such tests did not take long and ended in January 2016.
Flight tests of the AGM-158C on the F / A-18E / F began in April 2017. Further tests on the new carrier were carried out in parallel with the tests on the B-1B. Nevertheless, work in the interests of carrier-based aviation required more time. Initial plans were to achieve initial operational readiness in September 2019.
A few days ago, the American media, citing the Naval Aviation Systems Command, reported on the completion of the necessary procedures for the implementation of promising anti-ship missiles. The LRASM product as part of the F / A-18E / F armament complex reached the stage of initial operational readiness in November.
The F / A-18E / F carrier-based fighter-bomber is capable of carrying up to four AGM-158C missiles on an external sling. Two rockets are suspended under each plane, each on its own pylon. With such a load, the aircraft is capable of taking off both from the airfield and from the deck of an aircraft carrier.
Ship weapon
Anti-ship missiles AGM-158C LRASM should also be used by warships of various types, equipped with universal vertical launchers. The cruisers Ticonderoga and the destroyers Arleigh Burke with Mk 41 installations, as well as the Zumwalt destroyers with the Mk 57 systems should be carriers of such weapons.
Tests of the shipborne version of the LRASM began in June 2013 with trial breakthroughs of the TPK cover. These measures showed that the rocket can exit the container without damaging the warhead. On September 17, a missile was launched on a booth simulating a launcher of the Mk 41 type. In January 2014, a launch was performed using a full-fledged Mk 41 installation. It is curious that the preparation of the launcher for testing consisted only in updating the software. Later, test launches began with the participation of experimental ships.
Full-scale tests of the AGM-158C as a ship's armament have been going on for several years, but they are still far from completion. The adoption of the missile for service and deployment with the achievement of the required degrees of readiness remains a matter of the future.
Future carriers
At the moment, the main task of Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon in the context of the AGM-158C LRASM project is to bring the ship version of the anti-ship missile system to full operation. In parallel, other work is being carried out in the interests of the Air Force and the Navy. It is expected that in the foreseeable future two or three aircraft will be added to the list of LRASM carriers.
The AGM-158C anti-ship missile can be used by the B-1B long-range bomber. Given the state of long-range aviation, the Air Force demanded a similar rearmament of the B-52H aircraft. Now work is underway in this direction, but real missile launches have not yet been carried out.
The Navy already has one LRASM combat-ready carrier, and in the future, another aircraft will receive such a role. The anti-ship missile will join the armament range of the P-8A Poseidon patrol / anti-submarine aircraft. With the help of such weapons, he will expand the range of tasks to be solved - the list of targets to be hit will include not only submarines, but also surface ships.
The F-35 Lightning II fighter in the corresponding modifications is now being considered as a possible carrier of the AGM-158C in the air and naval forces. Nevertheless, there is still no open information about the actual work on this topic. It is possible that the adaptation of the rocket to the technology of the new generation has not yet begun.
One rocket - many carriers
To date, two carriers of AGM-158C anti-ship missiles have reached the stage of initial operational readiness. These are B-1B bombers from the US Air Force and F / A-18E / F fighters from the Navy carrier-based aviation. In the near future, these weapons will be received by new aircraft of the Air Force and Navy, as well as surface ships. However, it will take at least several years to complete all such works - they will continue until 2023-24.
The bulk of the development work, testing and refinement on the LRASM project has already been completed, and the troops have begun to master the new weapon. However, this process is not yet complete and will soon lead to new results of particular relevance to the US Army. Having entered service with several types of troops, the AGM-158C will have to replace outdated missiles and significantly affect their combat effectiveness.
