Poland signs for hundreds of JASSM-ER long-range cruise missiles

A Polish F-16 carrying the JASSM cruise missile. The country has now signed for hundreds of additional JASSM-ER missiles with a range of 1,000 km. (Polish MND)

Poland has signed for hundreds of Lockheed Martin AGM-158B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range (JASSM-ERs), finalising a deal that was approved by the US government in March.

The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) cemented the procurement of an undisclosed number of the air-launched cruise missile on 28 May, with Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz signing the contract.

News of the contract came months after the US Department of State approved the sale of 821 JASSM-ER missiles to Poland for USD1.77 billion in March. The USD735 million value of the final deal suggests it is for approximately 340 missiles. Deliveries will take place from 2026 to 2030.

The JASSM is a stealthy next-generation stand-off weapon that uses the inertial navigation system/GPS unit developed for the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) guided bombs for its mid-course guidance, with either a high-level or low-level (down to about 1,600 ft) cruise altitude.

The terminal phase sees the JASSM fly a steep dive on to the target using an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker before the WDU-42/B (J-1000) penetration and blast fragmentation warhead detonates. The range of the JASSM is listed as an estimated 370 km, while the JASSM-ER increases this to nearly 1,000 km through the addition of a new turbofan engine and additional fuel.