CARRIER SUITABILITY TESTING COMPLETED

Pax River Tester (Sep 3, 1998)

Engineers recently completed carrier suitability testing of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) at the Patuxent River TC-7/MK-7 Catapult and Arrestment test site.

The team of engineers came from Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) here; NAWC Weapons Division at China Lake, Calif.; Eglin AFB, Fla.; Lockheed-Martin, and Boeing.

The JASSM missile, loaded on a Strike Aircraft Test Squadron F/A-18C piloted by LCDR Dave Woodbury, successfully completed a flight test matrix of 6 catapult launches and 15 arrested landings.

JASSM is a joint Navy and Air Force program to provide a conventional, air-launched, standoff weapon that can destroy heavily defended, high-value, targets. JASSM can be employed on both Air Force and Navy aircraft for land and carrier-based operations. Carrier Operability is one of three Key Performance Parameters for the JASSM missile.

The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Program Office (AAC/YV) at Eglin AFB is the lead activity for JASSM development. The Program Manager for Conventional Strike Weapons (PMA-201) is the Navy program manager for JASSM, providing a JASSM Navy Program Director and support staff to the Joint Program Office at Eglin AFB. JASSM is completing Program Definition Risk Reduction Phase II and will enter EMD in November 1998. Lockheed-Martin Integrated Systems of Orlando, FL is the prime contractor for the JASSM missile.