JASSM - Strength from a Distance By the time the B-1 bombers
were in position to fire, the F-22 Raptors had already done
their job, picking off enemy radar and air defense missile
systems. F-16s had followed, engaging in fierce air-to-air
combat with enemy fighters. But the B-1 safely kept its
distance, free from any trace of enemy fire. Then, with the push
of a button, the B-1 simulated the release of its Joint Air to
Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM), designed to drop out of the
sky like a bomb, sprout wings, and then race to their appointed
target with pinpoint accuracy from more than 200 nautical miles
away. Target found. Target leveled. Enemy neutralized. The
precision of JASSM effectively brings an end to an Air Force
training run, dubbed Operation Chimichanga, over the skies of
Alaska on April 4, 2012. The future gold standard for long-range
missiles had been tested and passed with thundering success.
Strength from a Distance The aim of the JASSM program, initially
contracted to Lockheed Martin by the