A Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile released from a B-52H at 25,000 feet in altitude flew its programmed flight profile and struck its designated target in a recent test at White Sand Missile Range, N.M., announced Lockheed Martin, the stealthy cruise missile’s manufacturer. The test, which the company said met all mission objectives, validated software upgrades for the 158 JASSMs that Lockheed will build during Lot 8 of the missile’s production run. “Flight validation of JASSM’s software enhancements continues our efforts to expand missile capability and demonstrate reliability” and “make JASSM more affordable,” stated Alan Jackson, Lockheed JASSM program director. Lockheed will begin delivering Lot 8 missiles later this year. The Air Force already has some 1,080 JASSMs in its inventory and has ordered more than 1,400—both basline and extended-range variants—in total through Lot 9.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.