Australian military gives JASSM final operational capability status

Lockheed Martin's AGM-158A Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-Off Missile has attained final operational capability with the Australian military.

The missile, which gained initial operating capability status with the Royal Australian Air Force in 2011, is a cruise missile with a conventional warhead and with a range of more than 186 miles.

"The Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-Off Missile is now fully in service and is an extremely capable, long range missile that meets the future requirements of Air Force," Defense Minister David Johnston said on Wednesday. "Successful JASSM integration forms a key piece of the strike capability and ensures that (the) Air Force can meet future operational demands."

Development of the missile began in 1995. It first became operational with the U.S. Air Force in 2009. The missile is for use against heavily defended targets, as radar and communications sites.

"This is a great achievement for Air Force and is a major milestone for our air combat capability," said Chief of the Air Force Air Marshal Geoff Brown. "This long range, highly accurate missile can be released far from enemy targets, keeping RAAF aircrew out of harm's way without compromising mission objectives."