Warship Goes Down: A U.S Navy F/A-18 Fighter Fired a ‘Stealth Munition’

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Key Points: The U.S. military showcased the AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) during the RIMPAC 24 exercise, with an F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet successfully sinking two decommissioned ships.

-Developed by DARPA, the LRASM is stealthy, autonomous, and radar-evading, offering a critical edge in anti-ship warfare.

-Its 200-nautical-mile range and GPS-assisted navigation make it a game-changer, particularly against the numerically superior Chinese Navy.

-Capable of deployment on the B-1B Lancer and potentially the F-35, the LRASM could close the missile gap in the Indo-Pacific. Its successful testing signals progress in countering China’s naval dominance.

U.S. Navy Tests Advanced Anti-Ship Missile in RIMPAC Exercise

Military exercises can be expensive, humdrum affairs in which the friendly forces go through the motions and only conduct tried and true tactics. 

But sometimes, the drills can be a proving ground for whiz-bang weapons. Such was the case with the last Exercise Rim of the Pacific or “RIMPAC 24” in July. 

An F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet successfully fired a new AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). This was a noteworthy feat that destroyed two decommissioned ships.

DARPA Engineers Have a Hit On Their Hands

The LRASM is an interesting missile that was spawned by the military masterminds at DARPA. The anti-ship missile is stealthy and difficult to track. 

This hotshot projectile is sure to frighten Chinese battle planners, who have their own advanced anti-ship missiles. 

The LRASM will even score in East Asia should a shooting war ever erupt with the Chinese.

Not Just the Navy But the Air Force Is In On the Fun

The LRASM is based on the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range (JASSM-ER). DARPA derived an anti-ship version that is needed badly. During the exercise, the Super Hornet used the LRASM to sink the retired USS Tarawa and USS Dubuque. 

The B-1B Lancer bomber can also launch the LRASM.

“We have continued to invest in the design and development of LRASM’s anti-surface warfare capabilities to ensure that warfighters have the 21st-century security solutions they need to complete their missions and come home safely,” Lisbeth Vogelpohl, LRASM program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said about the munition, as noted by the National Interest.

The Navy believes there is an anti-ship missile gap in which the United States comes up short in the calculus. The LRASM will help the Americans even the score. 

A conflict between the United States and China is liable to devolve into an anti-ship missile fight, whether launched from land, by surface vessels, or by airplanes.

LRASM Stealth Munition: The Successful Test Was Badly Needed

This last use case shows that the Americans are forging ahead. A successful test of a newfangled weapon during any military exercise in the Indo-Pacific is a shot in the arm for the Navy and Air Force. 

Critics are worried that the U.S. military is also falling behind the Chinese in hypersonic missile development and the number of ships overall. 

The LRASM provides an asymmetric advantage against the high number of Chinese vessels.

The LRASM has a range of 200 nautical miles. It has radar-evading features and a GPS-assisted navigation system. DARPA engineers devised a capability that allows for autonomous navigation to avoid enemy missile defense systems, making it maneuverable like a hypersonic weapon.

Put It On F-35s Too

This is definitely a system for 21st-century warfare. The United States is likely racing to place it on the F-35 Lightning II across all different variants. A stealth aircraft delivering radar-evading missiles is just what the doctor ordered. 

Thus, the Department of Defense is trying to match the Chinese strength in ship numbers with new munitions that have been successfully tested.

More Will Take Notice

The media should have covered the LARASM exercise more widely. It somehow eluded scrutiny by defense reporters, but the test was an interesting feat that should be publicized. 

This year has been a good one for the anti-ship missile. It was test-fired in April, and then the live fire happened this summer at RIMPAC. Look for more tests of the long-range missile in 2025. 

This shows that sometimes defense exercises can yield a difference maker and introduce winning capabilities that could change the missile gap calculus.

Let’s hope a new White House and Congress will fully fund the LRASM in the coming years.

Such an asymmetric capability is what policymakers are looking for.

The United States may be slow at shipbuilding, but if it can continue to produce anti-ship missiles, the Chinese will not have such an advantage in the Indo-Pacific. 

Let’s see if the LARASM can continue its hot streak.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood 

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.