Lockheed Martin completes F35B's flight tests with new long-range missiles

FILE PHOTO: Attendees walk over branding for Lockheed Martin at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 22, 2024. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

(Reuters) - U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin said on Tuesday it completed an initial flight test integrating a long-range anti-ship missile (LRASM) weapon system onto the F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jet.

The upgrade will allow the F-35 fighter jet to carry Lockheed's AGM-158 strike systems - the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM).