US Air Force tests long-range LRASM anti-ship missile

The US Pacific Air Force has conducted a test of the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), a long-range stealth anti-ship weapon.

The missile was launched from a Northrop B-2 Spirit strategic bomber during the Valiant Shield 2026 exercise in the Pacific Ocean. The weapon successfully struck its target — the decommissioned Austin-class ship Juneau — north of the Mariana Islands, The War Zone (TWZ) reports, citing a press release from Pacific Air Forces (PACAF).

TWZ noted that the public had not previously been informed that the AGM-158C LRASM was part of the B-2 Spirit’s operational arsenal.

The publication recalled that the AGM-158C was developed from the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) family of air-launched cruise missiles. According to the report, the B-2 Spirit is capable of carrying up to 16 AGM-158 JASSM missiles.

The AGM-158C LRASM is equipped with an inertial navigation system and an advanced target-detection system. The missile has a range of approximately 950 kilometres, the report added.

By Jeyhun Aghazada