Lockheed Martin agreed to develop and integrate the Turkish SOM-J medium-range cruise missile onto the F-35 Lightning II in partnership with weapons firm Roketsan, the company announced. “SOM-J integration on the F-35 will enable pilots to engage targets from long ranges while maintaining the aircraft’s critical stealth capabilities,” company missile vice president Frank St. John said in a release. SOM-J is a smaller GPS-guided version of a medium-range conventional cruise missile currently integrated on the Turkish air force F-16 fleet. The weapon incorporates a 500-pound warhead and is capable of striking targets in excess of 100 miles away using terrain-following inertial navigation, and an infrared target seeker, according to the company. The agreement paves the way for SOM-J export sales to other international F-35 customers. Lockheed is also cooperating with Norwegian company Konigsberg, which is developing the Joint Strike Missile for the F-35.
B-21 Raider First Flight Now Postponed to 2023
May 20, 2022
The Air Force says the B-21 Raider won't make its first flight until 2023; about a six-month delay from the last official estimates. No reason was given for the delay. While other programs have recently chalked up schedule slips to supply chain and labor shortages, the Air Force has said…