IRIA News

The U.S. Department of State has approved the sale of 120 AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range (JASSM-ER) to the Netherlands for an estimated cost of $908 million. The Netherlands seeks to acquire the JASSM-ER cruise missiles for its fleet of F-35 stealth fighter jets.

The U.S. would provide the Government of the Netherlands with 120 AGM-158B/B-2 JASSM-ER as well as related equipment including 15 AGM-158 Inert JASSMs with Test Instrumentation Kits, 2 AGM-158 JASSM Separation Test Vehicles, 1 AGM-158 Instrumented Test Vehicle, and 2 JASSM Jettison Test Vehicles.

The Netherlands would also receive AGM-158 JASSM Dummy Air Training Missiles (DATM) and containers, KGV-135A encryption devices, test and integration equipment and support, spare parts, accessories, and repair and return support from the United States. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control will be the primary contractor for the proposed sale.

Under the proposed sales, the U.S. would also provide munitions support and support equipment, classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation, Contractor Logistics Support (CLS), transportation support, training equipment, and personnel training, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, as well as other related elements of logistics and program support.

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) statement highlighted that “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.”

The statement added, “The Netherlands will use these systems to defend NATO Allies and deter aggression” and this sale would improve the European ally’s capability to meet present and future threats by “increasing its airborne, long-range, precision-strike combat capability”.

The Netherlands Defense Ministry intends to buy long-range precision missile systems to strengthen its defense capabilities. Under the military modernization program, the NATO member state plans to equip its armed forces with the PULS artillery missile system, its naval forces with Tomahawk cruise missiles, and its air force with Lockheed Martin AGM-158B cruise missiles.

The Netherlands has ordered 52 F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. and plans to equip the entire fleet of the aircraft with long-range precision weapons. The Royal Netherlands Air Force considers long-range engagement and suppression of enemy air defense as a critical element of future operations.

With the integration of the JASSM-ER, the Netherlands can further advance its modernization and long-range precision-strike capabilities, as the JASSM-ER would enable the delivery of a low-observable asset capable of traveling further distances.

AGM-158B JASSM

AGM-158B JASSM is a conventional, low observable, standoff air-launched cruise missile designed to destroy the adversary’s high-value, well-fortified, and both fixed and relocatable targets from aircraft that can be launched from outside the area defenses.

The weapon system is developed by the leading American defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The defense firm has delivered more than 2,000 JASSM of different variants to the United States Air Force. Besides the U.S. Air Force, the cruise missile is being operated by several air forces including, Germany, Poland, Finland, Australia, and Japan.

The JASSM-ER has greater standoff capability with more than two-and-a-half times the range of JASSM. The AGM-158B JASSM-ER is capable of delivering a 1,000-pound warhead to a distance of about 575 miles, while the AGM-158B-2 has an extended range and can deliver a 2,000-pound warhead to a range of 1,200 miles.

It is armed with a penetrating blast-fragmentation warhead that can be used in all weather conditions and equipped with an enhanced digital anti-jam GPS receiver to dial into specific points on targets.

The AGM-158B JASSM‐ER can carry a 1,000-pound (450 kg) armor-piercing warhead and has a mass of 2,600 pounds (1,200 kg). Its length is about 14 ft/4.287m, width of 25in (635 mm), and height of 18in (450 mm)