F-15E and F-15EX Set to Be Armed with AGM-158C LRASM

The U.S. Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle IIs are now set to be armed with the AGM-158C-1 LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile), allowing the Air Force’s assets to engage surface targets at sea. The development was disclosed by the U.S. Navy’s NAVAIR (Naval Air Systems Command), which manages the LRASM program.

NAVAIR announced its intention to negotiate a contract “and subsequently award a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Delivery Order (DO) to Lockheed Martin Corporation-Missiles Fire Control (LMMFC)”, which will involve “integration and test support of the AGM-158 C-1 missile on the F-15E/EX aircraft platform. This requirement also includes integration of the AGM-158C-1 UAI interface.”

Anti-ship capabilities for the F-15

While there are reports that the F-15E was already capable of employing the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile, the weapon doesn’t appear to be part of the arsenal available to the Air Force’s F-15Es. Even if it was available, the weapon’s range is much shorter than that of the next-generation LRASM, and it also lacks the low-observability.

The integration of the Harpoon was conducted on the F-15E’s prototype for export customers, similarly to the F-16. The two current users of AGM-84s and F-15s are Saudi Arabia, which employs the F-15SA and AGM-84L Harpoon Block II, and South Korea, which employs the F-15K and the AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM-ER).

The F-15E is already one of the USAF’s main AGM-158 JASSM operators, giving them an air-launched land-attack cruise missile capability. The F-15EX has also flown with the JASSMs, so the integration of the LRASM, which has the same external form factor of JASSM, would make sense. In fact, the F-15E has demonstrated its ability to carry five JASSMs, while the EX has flown with three.

Both the E and EX models of the F-15 are all-weather multirole strike fighters, part of the McDonnell Douglas F-15 series of aircraft. As the newest fighter in the USAF’s inventory, the F-15EX was purchased to complement the service’s F-35As while replacing the F-15C/D fleet. It is expected to perform homeland and air defense missions, as well as serving as a platform for stand-off weapons like the JASSM or LRASM.

The first aircraft have currently been delivered to the USAF’s testing squadrons at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, as well as the Oregon ANG (Air National Guard). Furthermore, the Florida, California and Louisiana ANG, in addition to the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, are set to replace their F-15C/Ds with the F-15EX.

The AGM-158C LRASM

The AGM-158C LRASM is a stealthy, air-launched anti-ship missile derived from the AGM-158B JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range) produced by Lockheed Martin. It was designed from the inset to be capable of conducting automated targeting, relying on the missile’s on-board targeting systems to track and guide the munition without external systems like GPS navigation from the launching jet, allowing for more precise engagement.

The AGM-158C LRASM is being developed for both the Air Force and Navy for the Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) air-launch capability gap that will provide flexible, long-range, advanced, anti-surface capability against high-threat maritime targets. There are currently three variants which comprise the OASuW Increment 1 program, designated LRASM 1.0, LRASM 1.1, and LRASM C-3.

The LRASM 1.0 variant, which was fielded with early operational capability in 2019, has already been integrated on the B-1B Lancer and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The newer LRASM 1.1 variant was fielded last year and is undergoing Initial Operational Test & Evaluation this year, according to the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation’s report.

The AGM-158C-1 is the main sub-variant of the missile under production, while the heavily improved C-3, , which adds extended range capability, is also under development. Lockheed Martin recently increased its production efforts of the JASSM and LRASM after shortages in the U.S. arsenal became apparent.

The LRASM is equipped with a guidance system designed by BAE Systems, which integrates jamming-resistant GPS and INS, an IIR (Imaging Infrared) homing seeker with automatic target recognition, RWR (Radar Warning Receiver) sensors, Passive ESM (Electronic Support Measures) and a datalink.

The multi-mode seeker allows the munition to hit its intended target even when the target attempts to meddle with the guidance systems. Due to the extra load of these systems, the LRASM has a slightly shorter range than the JASSM-ER, and Lockheed Martin has claimed that the missile can reach distances longer than 200 nmi (nautical miles) or 370 km.

Onboard AI software uses all the weapon’s features to locate targets, and multiple LRASMs can share targeting information to form a swarm of highly stealth missiles. Besides the low-power emissions for these transmissions, the LRASM does not emit any signals, which reduces its detectability, adding to the low-RCS (Radar Cross Section) design and low IR (InfraRed) signature.

As mentioned, the LRASM is currently only launched from F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and B-1B Lancers, but the Navy is currently integrating it also into the P-8 MPA (Maritime Patrol Aircraft), and it is scheduled to equip F-35s in the future as well. Testing on the F-35C started in September 2024, with the weapon carried externally on the wing hardpoints since it is too large to fit inside its weapons bays.

The weapon is also designed to be compatible with the Mk. 41 VLS (Vertical Launch System) that features on many U.S. Navy surface vessels. When surface-launched, it is set to be fitted with modified Mk. 114 jettisonable rocket booster to give it a chance to reach cruising altitude.

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