Lockheed Martin has successfully carried out a controlled flight test of the US Navy’s long-range anti-ship missile (LRASM) surface-launch variant.

Conducted from the navy’s Self Defense Test ship at the Point Mugu Sea Range, California, the event marked the third successful surface-launched LRASM test.

The operational LRASM was fired from the MK41 VLS launcher, which flew a pre-planned low-altitude profile, collecting aerodynamics agility data, and then returned to its pre-determined destination.

"This LRASM flight test from a US Navy surface ship VLS highlights the successful collaboration between Lockheed Martin and the US Navy."

The test proved the maturity of the missile, which loaded mission data using the modified Tactical Tomahawk Weapon Control System (TTWCS+), and aligned mission data with a moving ship in a dynamic at-sea environment.

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control LRASM surface-launch director Scott Callaway said: “This successful flight test demonstrates Lockheed Martin’s readiness to answer the US Navy’s need for new anti-surface warfare capabilities as part of the ‘distributed lethality’ concept.

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“This LRASM flight test from a US Navy surface ship VLS highlights the successful collaboration between Lockheed Martin and the US Navy.”

In 2013 and 2014, the LRASM was also tested successfully from a ground-based MK 41 VLS Desert Ship.

Based on the joint air-to-surface standoff missile extended range (JASSM-ER) system, the LRASM is designed to meet the needs of navy and United States Air Force (USAF) warfighters in a robust, anti-access / area-denial threat environment.

Featuring a multi-modal sensor, weapon data link, and an enhanced digital anti-jam global positioning system to detect and destroy enemy threats, the LRASM missile is armed with a 1,000lb penetrator and blast-fragmentation warhead.

Lockheed is planning to continue with testing of the LRASM on other surface ship applications, including topside, deck-mounted launchers.


Image: LRASM launched from B-1B Lancer. Photo: courtesy of DARPA.