The U.S. Navy’s F-35C Lightning II stealth aircraft has been spotted for the first time equipped with the formidable AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), according to a rare photo released by the Pentagon. This event marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to expand the F-35C’s capabilities, particularly in the domain of long-range anti-surface warfare. The image, taken during testing at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, depicts the F-35C with two inert AIM-9X missiles on its wingtips and two externally mounted LRASMs on its inner hardpoints.
This development underscores a broader strategic shift in the U.S. military’s approach to countering maritime threats, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. As tensions with China over Taiwan and broader territorial disputes in the South China Sea escalate, the need for robust, long-range anti-ship capabilities has never been greater.
AGM-158C LRASM: A New Era in Anti-Ship Warfare
The AGM-158C LRASM, produced by defense giant Lockheed Martin, is a long-range, precision-guided missile designed to counter heavily defended surface combatants. Deriving from the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER), the LRASM builds on its predecessor’s technology but brings significant improvements in range, survivability, and targeting autonomy.
Lockheed Martin describes the LRASM as “a cruise missile belonging to the AGM-158 family that offers a lethal, long-range, and extremely survivable capability against well-defended surface combatants, unmatched by any other weapon in the arsenal.” These words highlight the strategic importance of the missile in the U.S. Navy’s arsenal as the service looks to address gaps in its Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) capabilities.
In recent years, the integration of the LRASM has been a top priority for the Navy. Already fielded on the B-1B Lancer and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the missile is now being adapted for the F-35C and P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. These efforts reflect a growing recognition that long-range, precision-guided weapons will be indispensable in future naval engagements, particularly in the contested waters of the Indo-Pacific.
According to a statement accompanying the photo, the Pax River F-35 Integrated Test Force (Pax ITF) team conducted two days of test flights to evaluate the flutter, loads, and flying qualities of the aircraft with two AGM-158 missiles loaded on external stations. The evaluation of these critical performance metrics is an essential step in certifying the missile for operational use with the F-35C, a carrier-capable stealth aircraft.
The photo’s caption further explained, “LRASM is a defined near-term solution for the Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) air-launch capability gap that will provide flexible, long-range, advanced, anti-surface capability against high-threat maritime targets.”
The testing, which took place in early September, represents one of the final steps in the integration process, following years of development and planning. The U.S. Navy had previously released a pre-solicitation notice for the integration of LRASM with the F-35 in July 2023, signaling that work on the project was nearing completion.
This latest round of testing appears to validate the Navy’s efforts to arm its stealthy carrier-capable jets with one of the most advanced anti-ship missiles in the world.
F-35C and LRASM: A Powerful Combination
The integration of LRASM with the F-35C is expected to significantly enhance the aircraft’s anti-surface warfare capabilities, a domain in which it has historically been limited. The F-35, while renowned for its stealth, sensor fusion, and overall multirole capabilities, has not yet fielded a dedicated anti-ship missile. The addition of the LRASM will give the F-35 a new, powerful tool for engaging surface combatants at long range.
The LRASM, derived from the JASSM-ER, was originally developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Its unique design allows it to operate autonomously, reducing the need for GPS navigation and network links, which are vulnerable to enemy jamming and other forms of electronic warfare.
With a minimum range of 200 nautical miles, the LRASM can engage targets such as aircraft, drones, ships, land-based installations, and even shallow submarines. Its advanced targeting system enables it to operate effectively in denied environments, using gross target cueing data to locate and destroy predefined targets. Upon reaching its target, the missile employs an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker to classify and prioritize targets based on pre-programmed parameters.
This level of autonomy and precision makes the LRASM a game-changing weapon in the U.S. Navy’s arsenal. Its ability to target heavily defended ships from long range, combined with the F-35C’s stealth and sensor fusion capabilities, could provide a significant edge in future naval engagements.
F-35C and LRASM Partnership
The timing of this development is significant, as the U.S. continues to grapple with the increasing threat posed by China’s growing naval capabilities. Beijing has invested heavily in hypersonic anti-ship missiles, advanced submarines, and aircraft carriers, all aimed at expanding its reach and influence in the Indo-Pacific.
China’s anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) strategy, which seeks to prevent adversaries from operating freely within the First Island Chain (a region encompassing Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan), poses a significant challenge to U.S. naval forces. In such a contested environment, long-range weapons like the LRASM will be crucial for maintaining the ability to strike high-value targets without exposing U.S. forces to undue risk.
By equipping the F-35C with LRASM, the U.S. Navy is positioning itself to counter China’s A2/AD strategy and enhance its operational flexibility in the Indo-Pacific. The combination of stealth, advanced sensors, and long-range strike capabilities makes the F-35C an ideal platform for delivering precision strikes against heavily defended maritime targets.
As a carrier-based aircraft, the F-35C can be deployed from U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, giving it the reach and flexibility needed to operate in the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean. This is particularly important in the context of a potential conflict with China over Taiwan, where the ability to launch long-range strikes from the sea could be a decisive factor in determining the outcome of the conflict.
LRASM’s Future: C-3 Variant and Beyond
While the AGM-158C LRASM is already a formidable weapon, work is underway to develop an even more advanced version, known as the C-3 or LRASM-Extended Range (LRASM-ER). The C-3 variant is expected to offer enhanced range and survivability, further extending the missile’s capabilities in future naval engagements.
In April 2023, the U.S. Navy successfully launched four upgraded AGM-158C-3 LRASMs in what was described as a “graduation exercise” for the latest configuration of the missile. This exercise demonstrated the Navy’s commitment to fielding the most advanced version of the missile as quickly as possible. The Navy has also indicated that it intends to transition fully to the C-3 variant in the coming years, further enhancing the F-35C’s long-range strike capabilities.
The importance of the LRASM to U.S. defense strategy is reflected in the significant budget allocations made by both the Navy and the Air Force. For Fiscal Year 2025, the two services have requested approximately $380 million to purchase a combined total of 205 LRASMs (90 for the Navy and 115 for the Air Force). This is part of a broader effort to procure over 1,000 LRASMs by the end of the decade, underscoring the missile’s role as a cornerstone of U.S. military strategy in the Indo-Pacific.
As the U.S. prepares for the possibility of conflict with China, weapons like the LRASM will be critical to maintaining a technological edge over potential adversaries. The missile’s ability to strike targets from long range, operate autonomously, and survive in hostile environments makes it a key asset in the U.S. Navy’s arsenal.
The integration of the AGM-158C LRASM with the F-35C Lightning II represents a significant step forward in the U.S. Navy’s efforts to enhance its anti-surface warfare capabilities. As tensions in the Indo-Pacific continue to rise, the need for long-range, precision-guided weapons has become increasingly apparent. By equipping the F-35C with LRASM, the Navy is ensuring that it has the tools necessary to counter the growing threat posed by China’s naval forces.
This development also highlights the broader trend towards arming U.S. military platforms with long-range strike capabilities, a key component of the Pentagon’s strategy for maintaining dominance in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. With further testing and procurement planned, the F-35C and LRASM partnership is set to play a pivotal role in the future of U.S. naval warfare.
