Lockheed Martin has received a $53-million contract modification from the US Air Force to expand production of the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), a key precision weapon designed for modern maritime warfare. The funding increases the total value of the existing contract to about $462.9 million and will be used to procure manufacturing tools and specialized testing equipment required to boost production output. The work will take place at Lockheed Martin’s Orlando facility and is scheduled to run through November 2028. The modification builds on a previous $130-million contract adjustment awarded in August 2024, which also supported expanded production capacity for the missile. Together, these investments reflect the Pentagon’s broader strategy to increase stockpiles of long-range precision weapons as part of efforts to strengthen deterrence and combat readiness. LRASM has been identified as a critical weapon for future naval operations, particularly in contested environments where enemy ships are protected by sophisticated air defense systems. The US Department of Defense has already outlined plans to significantly increase procurement of LRASM and the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile. Lockheed Martin officials indicated in 2023 that the combined annual acquisition target for the two missiles could grow from around 500 units to approximately 1,000 per year. Developed to strike high-value maritime targets such as aircraft carriers and guided-missile cruisers, LRASM offers both stealth and autonomous targeting capabilities. The missile can travel more than 200 nautical miles at high subsonic speed and carries a 1,000-pound penetrator blast-fragmentation warhead. Its guidance system combines GPS navigation with advanced onboard sensors that allow it to independently adapt its flight path if new threats appear during the mission. Currently, the missile is deployed on B-1B Lancer bombers operated by the US Air Force and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets used by the US Navy. Integration with the F-35 fighter fleet is underway, while engineers are also developing a ship-launched version designed for vertical launch systems aboard naval vessels.
