Fighter Sweep
  • Home
  • Military Aviation
  • Air Force
  • Navy
  • Spec Ops
  • Expert Analysis
  • Careers
  • Photos
Home Previous Post Next Post
Follow @fightersweep

JASSM: A Terrorist’s Worst Nightmare??

Scott Wolff No Comments Technology

Good evening, FighterSweep Fans! We hope you’ve had a spectacular day and, as always, we’re delighted to bring you the latest and greatest from the world of aviation–especially on the tactical side. So tonight we bring you a data-dump on what could certainly be categorized as a terrorist’s worst nightmare.

Take a moment–if you would–and reach down into the deepest, darkest bowels of your ne’er-do-well-slaying imagination and try to imagine the ultimate way to inflict judgement on any Daesh, al Qaeda, or al Nusra terrorist. Have something in mind? Okay. Now, make it air-launched, able to slip by most advanced IADS platforms, and make sure it can be fired from a really long way away.

Chances are, under the criteria we’ve specified, your standoff ISIS-slayer would look a lot like the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, or JASSM. And if you’re especially diabolical, it would be the AGM-158B, or JASSM-ER (Extended Range).

Infographic courtesy of Lockheed-Martin and U.S. Air Force.

Infographic courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

It is a 2,000-pound class, long-range, conventional, air-to-ground, precision-guided standoff missile designed to meet the needs of U.S. and allied warfighters.  It was designed specifically to attack high-value and well-fortified targets, both fixed and mobile, while the launch aircraft remains clear of highly defended airspace and long-range SAM threats like the S-400.

We refer to it as a terrorist’s worst nightmare for a reason: it can be employed in adverse weather conditions, day or night, using a state-of-the-art infrared seeker and enhanced digital anti-jam Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to dial into specific target aimpoints.  Not to mention the fact it features many low-observable or “stealth” characteristics.

Here’s a few facts and figures for the uber-AvGeeks among us:

AGM-158 (JASSM)

  • Length: 14 ft
  • Wingspan: 7 ft 11 in
  • Weight: 2,150 lb
  • Speed: Subsonic
  • Range: 230 miles
  • Propulsion: Teledyne CAE J402-CA-100 turbojet; thrust 3.0 kN (680 lbf)
  • Warhead: 1000 lb WDU-42/B penetrator
  • Launch Platforms: B-1, B-2, B-52, F-16C, F-15E, F/A-18C/D/E/F, F-35

Sleep well, Daesh, and don’t worry. If this beauty knocks on your door, you won’t feel a thing…

(Featured photo courtesy of Lockheed-Martin)

About the Author

Scott Wolff is an accomplished writer and renowned aviation photojournalist. He has held the position of Managing Editor for a print flying lifestyle magazine, and is the Host and Editor for FighterSweep. Scott's area of expertise is military flight operations, drawing on ten years of experience working extensively with all branches of the armed forces. He holds an FAA pilot certificate, the culmination of a life-long passion for flying airplanes. Scott has received military altitude chamber training, emergency egress training, and has logged time in a variety of civilian and military aircraft. He is also a member of the International Society of Aviation Photographers and Nikon Professional Services.

Related Posts

  • Airpower Victory Over Daesh Currently Impossible?Airpower Victory Over Daesh Currently Impossible?
  • LRASM: Lockheed Martin’s Anti-Ship Solution!LRASM: Lockheed Martin’s Anti-Ship Solution!
  • Amended ROE Expands Air War Against DaeshAmended ROE Expands Air War Against Daesh
  • B-52s Arrive In Qatar To Support Inherent ResolveB-52s Arrive In Qatar To Support Inherent Resolve
  • Is the US in danger of running out of bombs?Is the US in danger of running out of bombs?

Find Us on Facebook

FighterSweep.com

Sign Up
for the Newsletter

What’s Hot

  • abandoned-f-14-f-4
    May 14, 2017

    Abandoned US Military F-14 and F-4 Found in a Field. Anyone Know How They Got There?

  • September 4, 2019

    Photo Gallery: McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

  • blue-angels-reporter-blacks-out-passes-out
    December 5, 2017

    Watch: News Reporter Blacks Out on Ride with US Navy Blue Angels

Follow Us

Facebook Twitter Twitter

Recent Comments

  • pak152 " the team came up with what the Brits dubbed as Mustang, powered by a [...]
  • P K Polish AF never has and never will operate Su-27, An-26 aircraft has been out [...]
  • bnarfhyde The best book is also great. have a [...]
  • TerrorTrike ive never survived this long with such a clumsy FL- cG.866B.CO/NC6155hc
  • D4rksupeme yessss truck kunnnnnnnn i needddd you m.866E.CO/vC6155H

© Copyright 2023 SOFREP Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertisers
 

Loading Comments...