Amid heightened tensions with China, the United States continues to bolster the military capabilities of its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, as highlighted by two important missile sales approved for Australia and Japan over the past five days.
The first involves a potential deal with Canberra for 80 Lockheed Martin precision-guided air-to-surface missiles, along with associated equipment and services, for an estimated $235 million.
The approximately 930-kilometer range of these cruise missiles — the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) — will allow Australian Air Force fighter aircraft to stay outside the range of enemy air defenses when launching the weapons, each of which is armed with a 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) warhead designed to destroy high-value, well-defended targets — both fixed and moving.