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SeaQueen -> RE: Naval Recognition: LRASM testing on F/A-18E/F started in August (8/24/2015 7:02:04 PM)
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LRASM is intended to be a much more capable, long-range, stealthy follow-on to the Harpoon. Tomahawk MMT is intended to be an interim solution. JSM is a smaller anti-ship missile intended to fit inside the bomb-bay of an F-35. The small size imposes limitations on it, though, forcing the engineers to trade off between range and warhead size. Longer range -> Smaller Warhead, Shorter-Range -> Larger Warhead. That means that it's probably less useful against high-threat targets armed with strategic SAM, where you want the extra range so you don't have to get too close to them, and the smaller warhead size means it's less likely for a weapon that hits its target to put it out of action.
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But seriously, I am trying to figure out how LRASM and JSM fits into the same roadmap. Are we going to be potentially fielding 3 new ASM weapons, (including the TLAM MMMT)? I would absolutely love to think so, as they all have unique capabilities- but they all seem to have some overlap as well.
The TLAM can be launched by ship or sub, has long range, but AFAIK has no air launch capability.
The LRASM is air and surface launch capable, is slightly smaller and lighter than a Tomahawk, but cannot be launched from a sub, or the F-35 unless carried externally.
The JSM is again even smaller than both LRASM and TLAM MMMT, can be carried in larger numbers, and can be launched from air, (including internally from the F-35), as well as surface and sub-surface platforms. It just doesn't hit quite as hard as the other two.
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