A Royal Australian Air Force Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet of No 1 Squadron releases an AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile in February 2025. (Commonwealth of Australia)
The Australian government has said that the AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is now operationally ready for use after a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet successfully launched the missile during a test in February 2025.
The test was conducted with US Navy (USN) support off the California coast, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said on 21 March. “The LRASM is now ready for operational use after the … test,” the DoD added.
According to the DoD, the operational testing also “involved the validation of weapons preparation and loading as well as targeting and successful weapon engagement”.
A total of AUD895.5 million (USD561 million) has been allocated for the acquisition of the LRASM, the DoD said in its statement, without adding how many missiles this will cover. Janes previously reported in 2020 that Australia was interested in procuring up to 200 LRASM 1.1 air-launched missiles under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. At the time, the potential procurement was valued at USD900 million.
The AGM-158C is based on the low-observable AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended-Range (JASSM-ER) air-launched cruise missile. The LRASM 1.1 variant includes hardware and software improvements to enhance communications, survivability, and targeting ability.
In February 2025 the Australian Defence Force (ADF) also “simulated a long-range maritime strike against a potential adversary”, the DoD said. The simulated strike was supported by an RAAF Boeing E-7A Wedgetail and EA-18G Growler aircraft alongside a USN Boeing P-8A Poseidon, according to the DoD.
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