The United States government has approved the potential sale of JASSM-ER cruise missiles to Japan, with the possible aim of equipping the Air Self-Defense Force’s F-15J. That’s according to the State Department’s statement notifying the US Congress of the approval to move forward approving the sale through the FMS program.
According to the Defense and Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) publication of August 28, The Japanese government required the United States to purchase a total of up to fifty (50) long-range JASSM-ER cruise missiles. The main supplier of the possible plant is the company Lockheed Martin, with an amount that can reach 104,000,000 USD.
The AGM-158 JASSM-ER is a US-made long-range cruise missile. It has an effective range of 1,000 kilometers and is currently used by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Australia. The weapon has a penetrating/burst fragmentation warhead and is used on the B-1B, B-2, B-52 bombers and the F-16 and F-15E fighters. More recently, it has also been integrated for launching F-35 stealth fighters.
“This proposed sale will support United States foreign policy and national security goals by strengthening the security of a key ally that is a force for political stability and economic advancement in the Indo-Pacific region.”; stressed the Foreign Ministry
By the official statement itself, According to the State Department, the missiles will equip the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s F-15J fighter-bombers. However, he adds that the use of the AGM-158 JASSM-ER will not be limited to just the Japanese Eagle. Although it does not express this, it could be speculated that they could also be used by other fighters in the force’s inventory. This is the case with the fifth generation Mitsubishi F-2 and F-35A fighters.
