The US Air Force (Air Force) will receive 400 AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) stealth cruise missiles, Janes reports.
The corresponding contract for a total of 428.4 million dollars, concluded with the American company Lockheed Martin, provides for the production of missiles by July 2025.
In June 2020, the information and consulting agency Defense Express announced that the AGM-158B JASSM-ER rocket launched from the US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber is capable of reaching Russia without these aircraft entering the controlled anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) S-400 “Triumph” airspace area. “Considering the launch range of AGM-158B JASSM-ER cruise missiles of 980 kilometers and AGM-86C [Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile] CALCM for more than 1200 kilometers, this is enough to attack the main strategic objects of Russia in the Arctic and parts of Siberia,” – stated in the corresponding publication.
According to retired Lieutenant General Aytech Bizhev, who then commented on this point of view, Russia’s air defense systems are capable of shooting down up to 90 percent of targets, including long-range bombers.