U.S. Awards $53.1 Million to Lockheed Martin to Expand LRASM Long Range Anti-Ship Missile Production
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The U.S. War Department on March 6, 2026, awarded Lockheed Martin a $53.1 million contract modification to support expanded production of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). The funding targets tooling and testing equipment, indicating a broader push to increase U.S. inventories of long-range maritime strike weapon
The U.S. War Department announced on March 6, 2026, a $53.1 million contract modification for Lockheed Martin to support expanded production of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, a stealthy precision weapon designed to strike heavily defended naval targets at extended range. The funding will be used to acquire tooling and test equipment, a move that suggests the Pentagon is strengthening the industrial capacity required to produce the missile at higher volume rather than simply adding incremental orders. LRASM is a key element of U.S. maritime strike capability, currently deployed on platforms such as the B-1B bomber and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The contract reflects growing emphasis on long-range anti-ship warfare as U.S. planners prepare for potential high-end naval conflict scenarios. By investing in production infrastructure, the Pentagon is signaling that sustained output of advanced anti-ship weapons will remain a priority for future force readiness.
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Lockheed Martin demonstrated the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile’s operational capability in 2018 when a U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber successfully launched two LRASMs that autonomously navigated to and struck a moving maritime target during a test over the Sea Range near Point Mugu, California (Picture Source: U.S. Air Force)
In the March 6 contract announcement, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control of Orlando, Florida, received modification P00028 to the previously awarded contract FA8682-19-C-0008. The $53,115,962 award supports Phase IV B activities tied to tooling and test equipment for increased LRASM production. The modification raises the cumulative face value of the contract to $462,948,418 from $409,832,456, with work to be carried out in Orlando through Nov. 29, 2028. Fiscal 2025 U.S. Navy production funds were obligated at the time of award, while the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, remains the contracting activity.
The focus on tooling and test equipment is especially significant because it shows that Washington is investing in manufacturing capacity rather than simply adding another batch of finished weapons. In practice, this type of contract supports the industrial infrastructure needed to raise production over time and sustain deliveries across future orders. That matters in the case of LRASM because the missile is increasingly being treated as an important weapon for high-end naval warfare. Department of War budget documents show that LRASM procurement was set to increase sharply, with the FY2025 budget overview stating that quantities would rise by more than 70 percent in FY2025 compared with FY2024, while the multiyear procurement framework for FY2024 through FY2028 covered 477 missiles.
Developed by Lockheed Martin, LRASM is a long-range precision-guided anti-ship missile derived from the JASSM-ER family and designed for operations in heavily contested maritime environments. Lockheed Martin describes the weapon as a low-observable, semi-autonomous missile capable of striking high-value naval targets at long range while reducing reliance on continuous offboard guidance. Its design combines onboard sensors, autonomous target recognition, a weapon data link, and precision routing features intended to preserve effectiveness even in the face of jamming or disrupted navigation. Lockheed Martin states that LRASM carries a 1,000-pound blast-fragmentation warhead, underscoring its intended use against major surface combatants rather than lightly protected vessels. Already fielded on the U.S. Air Force’s B-1B bomber and the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the missile is also undergoing integration work on the F-35B and F-35C, a development that could expand the number of aircraft available for long-range maritime strike missions.
That technical profile gives LRASM an importance that goes far beyond its unit cost. In a modern naval conflict, particularly one involving layered air defense systems, electronic warfare, long-range sensors, and large surface combatants, survivable anti-ship missiles become central to offensive operations. LRASM is designed to help aircraft attack hostile warships without needing to penetrate the densest parts of an enemy defensive umbrella, while also preserving effectiveness in an environment where GPS jamming, communications disruption, or target deception may be present. This makes the missile especially relevant to scenarios in which U.S. forces would need to hold enemy fleets at risk across large stretches of ocean while operating under significant electronic and kinetic pressure.
The strategic meaning of increased LRASM production is therefore clear. The United States is preparing not only to field long-range anti-ship strike capability, but to field it in greater depth. In a prolonged maritime campaign, success would depend not just on possessing advanced missiles, but on having enough of them to maintain combat pressure after the opening salvos. That means industrial endurance becomes almost as important as missile performance. The March 6 contract fits into that broader logic by reinforcing the production base behind a weapon that has become central to U.S. offensive anti-surface warfare planning.
There is also a future demand driver behind this expansion. Lockheed Martin announced in March 2025 that LRASM had completed a flight test as part of its integration on the F-35B, following an earlier test on the F-35C in September 2024. As the missile is incorporated into additional F-35 variants under the Block 4 modernization effort, more U.S. and allied aircraft could eventually be able to carry it, increasing the importance of sustaining a higher production tempo and deeper stockpile. Every new aircraft capable of launching LRASM widens the range of operational scenarios in which hostile warships can be targeted, further increasing the strategic value of a larger missile inventory.
The March 6 contract modification surpasses a mere $53 million industrial adjustment, exemplifying the United States’ strategic realignment of procurement, production infrastructure, and operational planning to address the imperatives of potential high-intensity naval warfare. LRASM embodies this priority as a precision-guided missile designed for contested maritime domains, increasingly pivotal to maritime strike doctrines, and now fortified by an expanded production base for enduring operations. Above all, the announcement highlights Washington’s resolve not only to scale LRASM production but to secure resilient supply chains, ensuring sustained output when naval firepower may prove decisive in prolonged conflicts.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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The U.S. War Department on March 6, 2026, awarded Lockheed Martin a $53.1 million contract modification to support expanded production of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). The funding targets tooling and testing equipment, indicating a broader push to increase U.S. inventories of long-range maritime strike weapon
The U.S. War Department announced on March 6, 2026, a $53.1 million contract modification for Lockheed Martin to support expanded production of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, a stealthy precision weapon designed to strike heavily defended naval targets at extended range. The funding will be used to acquire tooling and test equipment, a move that suggests the Pentagon is strengthening the industrial capacity required to produce the missile at higher volume rather than simply adding incremental orders. LRASM is a key element of U.S. maritime strike capability, currently deployed on platforms such as the B-1B bomber and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The contract reflects growing emphasis on long-range anti-ship warfare as U.S. planners prepare for potential high-end naval conflict scenarios. By investing in production infrastructure, the Pentagon is signaling that sustained output of advanced anti-ship weapons will remain a priority for future force readiness.
Lockheed Martin demonstrated the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile’s operational capability in 2018 when a U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber successfully launched two LRASMs that autonomously navigated to and struck a moving maritime target during a test over the Sea Range near Point Mugu, California (Picture Source: U.S. Air Force)
In the March 6 contract announcement, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control of Orlando, Florida, received modification P00028 to the previously awarded contract FA8682-19-C-0008. The $53,115,962 award supports Phase IV B activities tied to tooling and test equipment for increased LRASM production. The modification raises the cumulative face value of the contract to $462,948,418 from $409,832,456, with work to be carried out in Orlando through Nov. 29, 2028. Fiscal 2025 U.S. Navy production funds were obligated at the time of award, while the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, remains the contracting activity.
The focus on tooling and test equipment is especially significant because it shows that Washington is investing in manufacturing capacity rather than simply adding another batch of finished weapons. In practice, this type of contract supports the industrial infrastructure needed to raise production over time and sustain deliveries across future orders. That matters in the case of LRASM because the missile is increasingly being treated as an important weapon for high-end naval warfare. Department of War budget documents show that LRASM procurement was set to increase sharply, with the FY2025 budget overview stating that quantities would rise by more than 70 percent in FY2025 compared with FY2024, while the multiyear procurement framework for FY2024 through FY2028 covered 477 missiles.
Developed by Lockheed Martin, LRASM is a long-range precision-guided anti-ship missile derived from the JASSM-ER family and designed for operations in heavily contested maritime environments. Lockheed Martin describes the weapon as a low-observable, semi-autonomous missile capable of striking high-value naval targets at long range while reducing reliance on continuous offboard guidance. Its design combines onboard sensors, autonomous target recognition, a weapon data link, and precision routing features intended to preserve effectiveness even in the face of jamming or disrupted navigation. Lockheed Martin states that LRASM carries a 1,000-pound blast-fragmentation warhead, underscoring its intended use against major surface combatants rather than lightly protected vessels. Already fielded on the U.S. Air Force’s B-1B bomber and the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the missile is also undergoing integration work on the F-35B and F-35C, a development that could expand the number of aircraft available for long-range maritime strike missions.
That technical profile gives LRASM an importance that goes far beyond its unit cost. In a modern naval conflict, particularly one involving layered air defense systems, electronic warfare, long-range sensors, and large surface combatants, survivable anti-ship missiles become central to offensive operations. LRASM is designed to help aircraft attack hostile warships without needing to penetrate the densest parts of an enemy defensive umbrella, while also preserving effectiveness in an environment where GPS jamming, communications disruption, or target deception may be present. This makes the missile especially relevant to scenarios in which U.S. forces would need to hold enemy fleets at risk across large stretches of ocean while operating under significant electronic and kinetic pressure.
The strategic meaning of increased LRASM production is therefore clear. The United States is preparing not only to field long-range anti-ship strike capability, but to field it in greater depth. In a prolonged maritime campaign, success would depend not just on possessing advanced missiles, but on having enough of them to maintain combat pressure after the opening salvos. That means industrial endurance becomes almost as important as missile performance. The March 6 contract fits into that broader logic by reinforcing the production base behind a weapon that has become central to U.S. offensive anti-surface warfare planning.
There is also a future demand driver behind this expansion. Lockheed Martin announced in March 2025 that LRASM had completed a flight test as part of its integration on the F-35B, following an earlier test on the F-35C in September 2024. As the missile is incorporated into additional F-35 variants under the Block 4 modernization effort, more U.S. and allied aircraft could eventually be able to carry it, increasing the importance of sustaining a higher production tempo and deeper stockpile. Every new aircraft capable of launching LRASM widens the range of operational scenarios in which hostile warships can be targeted, further increasing the strategic value of a larger missile inventory.
The March 6 contract modification surpasses a mere $53 million industrial adjustment, exemplifying the United States’ strategic realignment of procurement, production infrastructure, and operational planning to address the imperatives of potential high-intensity naval warfare. LRASM embodies this priority as a precision-guided missile designed for contested maritime domains, increasingly pivotal to maritime strike doctrines, and now fortified by an expanded production base for enduring operations. Above all, the announcement highlights Washington’s resolve not only to scale LRASM production but to secure resilient supply chains, ensuring sustained output when naval firepower may prove decisive in prolonged conflicts.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
