LRASM LOCKHHEED Rocket: Successful Integration with F-35B

The F-35C tests were conducted in September 2024 for the US Navy. The successful trials of LRASM on March 4 this year were intended for the US Marine Corps, which testifies to the desire of the Pentagon to make the Marine infantry truly universal combat force. This is stated in the article by Brandon's analyst J. Weikhrt, which was translated by Focus.

According to The Aviationist, successful AGM-158C Lrasm tests occurred after Lockheed reported that the F-35 fleet reached "one million flight hours worldwide. " According to the publication, "this impressive figure is based on the total number of hours of plaque of all 16 Air Force, which currently operate the F-35, and covers more than 1100 aircraft on 48 bases in 10 countries.

" As for the specific set of F-35b weapons, the appearance of LRASM expands its capabilities, adding another level of offensive weapons to the already aimed at the plane attack. The F-35B is already equipped with two AIM-20C air missiles, two 453-kilogram control bombs GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition (Jadam) and Jassm (Joint Air-To-To-Surface Stando.

LRASM began its long way in 2009, when the advanced defense research project (Darpa) initiated a program for replacing the outdated AGM-84 Harpoon. LRASM is a permeable air base with a 453-kilogram penetrating warhead. The first successful tests of the rocket took place in 2013, and by 2018 it was already installed on the legendary B-1B Lancer and F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet.

Since F-35 Lightning II should become the main battle aircraft of the US Air Force, the Pentagon is now integrating Lrasm into this glider. There is another LRASM option that is planned to be launched from air and ground for test purposes, demonstrating the versatility of the system. Lockheed Martin has developed LRASM taking into account modern threats. In contact with such a formidable opponent as China, the United States will need a weapon that can strike from the horizon.

Lrasm will help this: its range is almost 555 km and, according to some estimates, can reach 925 km when the weapon is complete and the test stage. Moreover, the rocket has an inconspicuous structure thanks to stel compound and anti-radar materials, which minimizes the possibility of detection. An improved multi -mode set of sensors, including a passive radio frequency detector and infrared chamber, provides autonomous goal recognition.

Through the application of the "shot and forgot" the weapon can be a semi -autonomous target using a combination of the capabilities of the global positioning system (GPS) and inertial guidance (INS). It is an expensive system, like many other modern American weapons: the cost of one unit is from $ 3 to $ 4 million.

But when Lrasm is faced with the 355-ship Fleet of China, including Type 055 aircraft carriers and destroyers, equipped with modern anti-air missiles, it will become the same weapon that America is needed to return to restraint. The US Navy Admiral Samuel Paparo, the head of the Indo-Pacific Command of the United States (Indopocom), believes that the only hope of the United States to win in the event of Chinese invasion and/or Taiwan blockade will deploy switches and rockets.

This plan is known in naval circles as "Hellscape". The idea is to attack the swarm of the battle ships of the People's Liberation Army of China (NVAK), which come before they can threaten the US and allies that are nearby. Despite the success of LRASM, the hopes of her may not be justified. As already mentioned, this is due to the more expensive rocket. But even more important is the fact that it is slow.

Flying at permeable speeds, it will be vulnerable to hostile attacks despite its stealth function. And in the era of hypersonic weapons, the readiness of the Pentagon to spend such a significant part of its very modest budget seems illogical - especially as Russia and China have large arsenals of hypersonic weapons that work.

Moreover, if the Pentagon fails to afford a sufficient number of these missiles or if the defense-industrial base of America will not be able to produce them efficiently, massively and in a timely manner, then all endeavors will prove futile. China is a threat to today, not ten years later. However, a recent report on successful LRASM integration in another F-35 version is generally good news.

It is sad that to combat the threats of the 21st century, which are China and Russia, we are forced to rely on the weapons of the Cold War. Brandon J. Weikhert is a national security analyst, a former Congress employee and a geopolitical analyst who writes for The Washington Times, Asia Times and The-Pipeline. Author of the books "Winning Space: How America Remains a SuperPower", "Biohacked: China's Race to Control Life" and "The Shadow War: Iran's Quest for Supremacy".