The US Department of State has approved a possible sale of 16 AGM-158B/B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles – Extended Range (JASSM-ERs) to Japan.
This is not the first US announcement of a possible sale of AGM-158B/B-2 missiles to Japan. In August 2023 the US Department of State said it had approved the sale of 50 AGM-158B/B-2s to Tokyo, valued at USD104 million. The latest proposed sale of 16 additional missiles has an estimated cost of USD39 million, according to a statement by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 15 January.
Other non-major defence items included in the possible sale include the AGM-158 JASSM Dummy Air Training Missiles (DATMs) and containers; JASSM Anti-jam Global Positioning System Receivers (JAGRs); munitions support and support equipment; spare parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return support; integration and test support and equipment, plus classified and unclassified software delivery and support.
Classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation are also included in the possible sale, plus personnel training and equipment, airlift and transportation support, US Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistics and programme support.
While the earlier batch of 50 JASSM-ERs appeared to be primarily for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's (JASDF's) Boeing (Mitsubishi) F-15J strike aircraft, the DSCA's announcement of the latest possible sale states that the missiles will also be used by Japan's fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35As and F-35Bs (which are on order).
A stealth precision air-launched autonomous stand-off weapon, the baseline JASSM-ER has a range in excess of 926 km. The B-2 variant is an improvement on the AGM‐158B. It has a new wing assembly and can deliver a stand-off range in excess of 1,000 km.
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