The Air Force’s JASSM cruise missile, built by Lockheed Martin, performed well in the recent series of 16 flight tests that concluded on Oct. 4 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., according to the service. In a response to a query, Air Force spokesman Vincent King told the Daily Report Thursday that the unofficial score—since analysis is still underway—is that JASSMs were “successful” in 15 of the 16 flights. One missile “failed to detonate,” he said. All of these missiles came from production lot 7. The last four missiles in the test series were released from a B-52 bomber on Oct. 4. This test series, meant to assess JASSM’s reliability, was considered a crucial indicator of whether the Air Force would buy more of the missiles, which despite their prowess, have been plagued by reliability issues. (For more, see Reuters news wire service Oct. 7 report.)
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.