Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force for Intelligence Test Instrumentations Kits for use on the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile flight tests for telemetry and flight termination purposes, the company announced on Tuesday.

The $44.1 million deal seeks to test the AGM-158 during flight, with Lockheed Martin saying these upgraded Intelligent Test Instrumentations Kits will "eliminate obsolete parts from previous generation test kits" which can be used on several different missiles.

"The new iTIK provides a next generation telemetry kit for both JASSM baseline and Extended Range missiles, as well as the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile," Kim Oyler, program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said in a press release. "The electronic components in this new kit will provide enhanced reliability over the previous generation's mechanical configuration."

In July, Lockheed Martin received a $37.7 million contract action for the continued development of a new wing design for the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range.

The new wing design will provide greater range for the JASSM-ER, which currently can strike targets more than 550 miles away.

The AGM-158 JASSM is a long-range air-launched cruise missile with a stealthy radar-evading airframe. It uses an infrared seeker and GPS guidance to autonomously strike fixed targets at long ranges with a 1,000-pound penetrating blast warhead.

The standard model can be mounted on most Air Force and Navy fighters and bomber aircraft, while the JASSM-ER is currently deployed on the B1B Lancer heavy supersonic bomber. The ER version is being adapted for use with other aircraft.

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The Australian Department of Defense has signed a $12.1 million contract deal with Raytheon Australia for the first stage of development for the Short Range Ground Based Air Defense project. Announced Wednesday by Christopher Pyne, Australia's minister for defense industry, the contract will "include Risk Mitigation Activities to inform the final system configuration, which will create ... read more

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