Summary and key points: The recent successful demonstration of the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) during the RIMPAC military exercises near Hawaii sent a clear signal to China regarding the US military’s ability to counter Chinese anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems.

– Developed by Lockheed Martin and DARPA, the LRASM is a stealth missile designed for precise targeting even in electronically compromised environments.

– With a range of 200 nautical miles, the missile can be fired from various US aircraft, including the F/A-18F Super Hornet and the B-2 Spirit bomber.

LRASM: The stealth missile is here

The LRASM’s advanced features, including GPS navigation, infrared sensors and the ability to evade countermeasures, make it a critical tool for restoring naval deterrence against China. Despite its high cost, the missile is considered an indispensable tool in the US military’s strategy to maintain dominance in the Indo-Pacific region.

A recent successful demonstration of a new stealth missile at the annual RIMPAC military exercises near Hawaii has caught the world’s attention.

The Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), a weapon developed by Lockheed Martin and DARPA, fired from a US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet, is intended to send a clear message to China.

The message is that despite China’s anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities, the U.S. military can still threaten Chinese forces – and that threat may come more than ever from beyond the horizon.

The specifications

DARPA began researching the LRASM capability around 2009. Navy anti-ship missiles like the Harpoon were getting old – the technological advances of America’s adversaries meant that the Harpoon would eventually become obsolete. By incorporating stealth technology and adding longer-range capabilities and advanced autonomous targeting, the US military sought to stay one step ahead of its adversaries.

America continues to enjoy significant (if diminishing) advantages in strategic space. One key advantage the Americans have developed over the years is the Global Positioning System. In fact, most U.S. military weapons and platforms require GPS access to function properly. The LRASM takes advantage of this advantage and makes the weapon’s targeting more precise. It combines GPS navigation capabilities with a multimodal sensor network. In other words, an enemy cannot outrun this weapon—unless it first takes out the GPS satellite constellation.

And there’s more going on with this incredible weapon.

The LRASM features an additional infrared sensor system that allows for even better target acquisition. These weapons can reportedly operate in environments with significantly poorer electronic performance. In addition, this “stealth missile” can evade countermeasures and decoys by making radical course corrections.

The successful tests of LRASM in the recent RIMPAC exercises show that it is the best conventional attack missile that the Americans have developed.

The LRASM is claimed to have a range of 200 nautical miles, meaning this weapon can penetrate deep into Chinese-occupied territory in the Indo-Pacific if necessary. US military planners hope the LRASM system can restore maritime deterrence that has been destabilized by the rapid military advances of American rivals such as China at sea.

With love to China

The fact that the Navy tested the LRASM during RIMPAC should tell readers all they need to know about the intended recipient of the message being sent.

This weapon can be fired by several combat aircraft in the American fleet – from the aforementioned F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the workhorse of the US Navy’s air warfare, to the Air Force’s long-range stealth bomber B-2 Spirit. In addition, the Navy is working to make the LRASM compatible with the forces of all allies.

In particular, the Australians, who have become a key partner of the US military in deterring and containing the rise of China, have chosen to integrate the LRASM into their armed forces.

However, the LRASM is not cheap.

Accordingly Journal of Aerospace Forces, The price for the LRASM is “$3.24 million per shot, while the unit cost is slightly reduced to $3.22 million per missile by purchasing over five years.”

That’s expensive for a missile system, but with two branches of the U.S. military using the system and an allied state also joining the program, costs are likely to fall in the long run.

The LRASM is one of the solutions to overcome China’s A2/AD advantages. Should war break out soon, the LRASM is one of only a handful of systems that the U.S. military can reliably use to defeat China.

Rather than squandering limited resources on things like a sixth-generation fighter jet for the Air Force or the F/A-XX program for the Navy, perhaps the Pentagon should redirect those funds to building a massive arsenal of LRASM systems.

Author’s experience and expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert, a national security analyst for the National Interest, is a former congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor to The Washington Times, The Asia Times, and The Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, will be published by Encounter Books on October 22. Weichert can be followed on Twitter. @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock.

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