Air Force, Lockheed: JASSM OK to continue

[unhappycamper]

Air Force, Lockheed: JASSM OK to continue
By Erik Holmes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Sep 22, 2008 8:33:08 EDT

The future of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile seemed in doubt last year because of severe cost overruns and four failed flight tests in a span of a few days.

But the Air Force and Lockheed Martin said the program is back on target, with a batch of the stealthy cruise missiles delivered in July and a contract for an additional 111 awarded in June.

And the reliability issues have been solved, according to Air Force and Lockheed officials. The development team flew 16 flight tests in four days in February, and 14 of them were successful.

Such success could not have been predicted in 2007, when four missile tests failed between April 30 and May 1. The development team determined three of the failures were caused by faulty Global Positioning System guidance and one by a faulty fuse.

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JASSM did not lose funding because of its earlier failures. The program got $156.5 million in the 2007 budget and another $160 million in fiscal 2008. The president’s fiscal 2009 budget proposal includes $240.3 million for the missile program. The $68 million cost of rehabbing the program was split between Lockheed and the Air Force.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/09/airforce_jassm_092208/%2e