Key Points and Summary: The AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) significantly enhances U.S. naval capabilities, providing a stealthy, autonomous strike solution capable of evading enemy defenses. Developed by Lockheed Martin and DARPA, LRASM can be launched from aircraft and ships, boasting a 200 nautical mile range, advanced targeting sensors, and potent firepower.
Key Point #1 – Successfully demonstrated at RIMPAC 24, this missile could shift the Indo-Pacific power balance, countering China’s growing anti-access threats.
Key Point #2 – The LRASM ensures U.S. forces can engage high-value maritime targets from safe distances. As China’s naval capabilities rapidly expand, the LRASM offers a crucial strategic advantage, emphasizing the importance of scaling production swiftly.
America’s LRASM Missile: The Stealthy Weapon China Should Fear
Last year, during the last Exercise Rim of the Pacific or “RIMPAC 24,” an F/A-18 successfully launched AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), sinking two decommissioned ships. This event marks a critical advancement in the United States’ ability to project power and maintain maritime superiority, particularly in the face of growing threats from China. This event, while it seems relatively unremarkable, could have tremendous ripple effects in the arms race against China.
What is the LRASM?
The AGM-158C LRASM is a state-of-the-art, stealthy, and highly autonomous anti-ship missile designed to counter advanced maritime threats. Developed by Lockheed Martin in collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the LRASM is intended to replace the aging Harpoon missile, which has been in service since 1977.
The AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is a sophisticated, stealthy, and highly autonomous missile designed to address advanced maritime threats. Developed by Lockheed Martin in collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the LRASM is intended to replace the aging Harpoon missile.
Weighing approximately 2,760 pounds and measuring 14 feet in length, the missile features a wingspan of 8 feet 10 inches. It is equipped with a WDU-42/B high-explosive blast fragmentation penetrator warhead, weighing 1,000 pounds. The missile is powered by a Williams F107-WR-105 turbofan engine, giving it an operational range of around 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers). The guidance system includes GPS, INS, imaging infrared seekers, and passive electronic support measures, ensuring a high degree of accuracy with a circular error probable (CEP) of 9 feet 10 inches.
Terror by Air and by Sea
The LRASM can be launched from various platforms, including the B-1 Lancer, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-35 Lightning II (currently a work in progress), and P-8 Poseidon (with ongoing integration). It can also be surface-launched from the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) and potentially from HIMARS.
The LRASM boasts several advanced features that enhance its effectiveness in modern naval warfare. Its low-observable technology makes it difficult for enemy radar systems to detect and intercept, allowing it to penetrate sophisticated air defense systems. The missile’s advanced sensors and guidance systems enable it to autonomously locate and engage high-value targets with minimal external input.
With its long operational range, the LRASM allows for standoff engagements, reducing the risk to the launching platform. The missile’s warhead is designed to deliver a high-explosive blast, capable of inflicting significant damage on enemy vessels.
Additionally, the LRASM can operate in electronically contested environments, reducing reliance on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, network links, and GPS navigation.
These capabilities make the LRASM a formidable weapon in the U.S. Navy’s arsenal, enhancing its ability to project power and maintain maritime superiority in the face of evolving threats.
Why the LRASM Should Scare China
The deployment of the LRASM has profound implications for U.S. national security, particularly in the context of the strategic competition with China. The LRASM significantly enhances the U.S. Navy’s ability to deter and counter potential adversaries. Its long-range and stealth capabilities allow U.S. forces to engage enemy ships from a safe distance, thereby maintaining a tactical advantage. This is particularly important in the Indo-Pacific region, where China’s naval modernization efforts have raised concerns about the balance of power.
China has invested heavily in developing Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities, which aim to prevent U.S. forces from operating freely in key maritime areas such as the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. The LRASM’s ability to operate in electronically contested environments and evade sophisticated defenses makes it a critical asset in countering these strategies.
Many analysts feared that the US may be falling behind China in terms of hypersonic missile development. With the LRASM, the US still retains a technological edge. With its advanced guidance and stealth systems, the LRSAM is effectively a hypersonic missile that cannot be detected or intercepted by its adversaries. The addition of the missile into the US’ arsenal provides a significant strategic edge against China and other adversaries.
The successful demonstration of the LRASM during RIMPAC 24 also sends a strong signal to U.S. allies and partners. It underscores the United States’ commitment to maintaining a credible and capable military presence in the region. This reassurance is vital for strengthening alliances and fostering cooperation among nations with shared security interests.
China’s rapid military modernization and assertive behavior in the Indo-Pacific pose significant challenges to U.S. national security. The Chinese government has pursued a strategy of expanding its influence and control over critical maritime areas, often through coercive and aggressive actions. The deployment of advanced weapons systems like the LRASM is essential for countering these threats and ensuring the United States can defend its interests and uphold international norms.
Has DARPA Done it Again?
The successful firing of the AGM-158C LRASM from an F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet during RIMPAC 24 may prove to be a pivotal moment in modern naval warfare. This advanced missile system enhances the U.S. Navy’s ability to project power, deter adversaries, and maintain maritime superiority.
In the face of growing threats from China, the LRASM is a critical component of the United States’ strategy to ensure regional stability and protect national security interests.
A Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) integrated on F/A-18E/F Super Hornet 12 August 2005 at NAS Patuxent River, Md.
There are still a lot of questions about the LRASM’s capabilities, but I only have two: how much do they cost and how quickly can we make them? China is an industrial superpower that is able to build large amounts of naval vessels every year. If the LRASM is to be a game changing weapon, the US needs to build large quantities of these missiles.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a 19FortyFive Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.
