u.s testing a new cruise missile on the b-1b lancer
the u.s air force released new footage of a test involving the b-1b lancer bombing
carrying a new joint air-to-surface standoff missile ja ssm the test
which did not involve an actual missile launch is an early step toward b-1bs carrying jasm on
external pylons increasing the number of missiles a single bomber can carry by up to 50 percent
in the test which edwards air force base's 412th test wing performed a b-1b assigned to the base
carried a single jasa missile the missile was attached to the fuselage just behind the cockpit
the test is described as a captive carry test meaning there was no intention to launch a
missile but simply determine the feasibility of carrying a jasm outside the aircraft
the b-1b was originally designed as a strategic nuclear bomber capable of
carrying nuclear-tipped cruise missiles on pylons mounted underneath the plane
the ability to mount pylons was a capability never actually used and the plane was
eventually converted to a non-nuclear bomber to comply with arm's control treaty obligations
today the b-1b is used as a jack-of-all-trades long-range attack aircraft that's capable of
sprinting to the aid of ground forces to draw bombs or launching cruise missiles in april
2018 b-1bs launched jason missiles against syrian chemical weapons facilities in syria
the u.s military is pivoting from ground wars in iraq and afghanistan to confronting russian and
chinese military forces this change in posture requires more jets more tanks and more missiles
all weapons of mixed or no real utility against the islamic state or taliban guerrillas the
shift also requires long-range aircraft capable of carrying long-range missiles in order to deal with
the huge distances involved in reaching the asia pacific and europe the agm-158 jasm air-to-ground
cruise missile is one key weapon system of the new big war pivot stealthy precision guided and smart
the jasm is able to penetrate modern air defenses and then deliver a powerful blow the missiles are
large but recent upgrades to the b1 bomber mean the bone can now carry up to 24 jason missiles
internally in the big airplane's two bombies one of jasm's best capabilities is its long range the
standard jasm missile has an effective range of 229 miles while a longer range version jasm er
has a range of 621 miles jasm xr extreme range and even longer range version set to enter production
in 2024 will be able to fly 1100 miles to a target the missile's range particularly that of the er
and xr versions means the carrier aircraft can largely launch outside the range of enemy air
defenses keeping bomber and crew relatively safe compared to bombers equipped with shorter range
missiles or regular free-fall bombs the air force has determined a properly modified b-1 bomber can
carry between 6 and 12 jason missiles on external pylons that boosts the b1's total loadout to
between 30 and 36 missiles probably the largest loadout of conventional cruise missiles in any air
force anywhere the air force would need a third fewer planes to carry out the same strike as one
undertaken today just 12 bombers could deliver 432 precision guided missiles against enemy targets
each with a single 1000 pound high explosive warhead a devastating amount of firepower how
does a country that starts a war with america deal with the loss of 400 or more headquarters
supply dumps air defense systems power plants and other mission essential sites per day to just 12
bombers that's a question any potential adversary must ask itself before the war starts and if it
doesn't have any good answer it's quite possible such a country won't start a war at all treaty
constraints the external hardpoints on the b-1b were once built to carry nuclear-tipped cruise
missiles a mission the long-range aircraft no longer has the conversion process to make the b-1
non-nuclear began under the strategic arms reduction treaty with the final conversion
taking place in 2011. while the external carriage demonstration reactivates the original design
and inherent capability the aircraft will remain treaty compliant faggard said the expanded
capabilities will be conventional only he said if the air force pursues permanent modifications
the b1's hardpoints would be reconfigured to carry modern conventional weapons and the right
forward heart point that currently supports the targeting pod pylon a tracking device used
for target detection and identification that has been in operational use for the past
15 years faggart said kingston reef the director of disarmament and threat reduction policy
at the arms control association pointed out the air force has publicized increasing the b1's
weapons payload particularly with jason for months now this would not violate the treaty because
the bomber is still only carrying conventional weapons reef said tuesday they're not reinserting
the electronics that would be required to make the bomber nuclear capable or to carry nuclear weapons
he added they're doing something to reverse what they've previously done but that doesn't mean it's
a violation of the treaty of gunning the missiles the variable sweep swing aircraft is capable of
carrying both precision guided and conventional bombs during the serious strike in 2018 the bee
once struck targets using 19 jasms marking the first operational use of any variant of the
missile the standard jassim a missile variant was used not the new extended range variant known as
jasm er in august 2019 the air force proved it could transform the lancer to hold more ordinance
the first step toward carrying hypersonic weapons payloads the test also conducted by edwards 419th
flight test squadron demonstrated that crews could fasten new racks onto the
b1's external hardpoints as well as reconfigure its internal bomb base to hold heavier weapons
it's backing out there's 20.
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