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Weapon adds new dimension to B-2

Air Combat Command News

Release Date: 9/09/2003

By Senior Airman Shawn Clements 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

9/9/2003 - WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. (ACCNS) -- A weapon being tested by the 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron here may soon help put fewer American aircrews at risk while increasing the lethal effectiveness of the B-2 Spirit.

The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile is a low-observable, highly survivable, subsonic cruise missile designed to penetrate next-generation air defense systems, said Maj. Raymond Scherr, 509th Operations Support Squadron weapons flight commander.

"The JASSM fits perfectly with current B-2 operations because the missile's effectiveness reduces the number of weapons and sorties required to destroy high-threat targets," he said.

The missile's all-weather, launch-and-leave capabilities mean aircrews can fire at targets hundreds of miles away while minimizing aircraft and crew exposure to enemy air defenses.

The weapon, which is guided by a global positioning system and an inertial navigation system, is designed to attack fixed and moveable targets.

There is one difference in this weapon, though.

"The JASSM is powered by a small motor, while all our other weapons just fall or glide to the target with help from gravity and an attached guidance kit," Major Scherr said.

So far, only 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron aircrews have tested the missile, but the 325th and 393rd Bomb Squadrons, and the 394th Combat Training Squadron will soon be involved with the new weapon, the major said.

"Pilots will undergo the same or very similar training that is currently used to practice with our other J-series weapons like the Joint Direct Attack Munition and the Joint Stand-Off Weapon," Major Scherr said. "This will include simulator training and simulated bombing missions in the jet."

The JASSM weighs 2,250 pounds and is 168 inches long. The weapon is launched from the B-2's standard rotary launcher assembly.