On Monday, August 18, 2025, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) from Patuxent River, Maryland, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense, signed a 48,107,728 USD contract with Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control (a division of Lockheed Martin) for the continued development of the AGM-158C LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile) air-launched anti-ship missile to the C-3 variant with the longest range.
Image: Lockheed Martin
Amendment No. 0005 will ensure the continuation of one-time engineering and material efforts to support activities related to the post-project review, following the completion of the Critical Design Review (CDR) stage, as well as the testing of assets necessary for the development of the new LRASM C-3 missile variant for the U.S. Navy.
The work will be carried out in Orlando, Florida (97.5%), Troy, Alabama (1.5%), and Ocala, Florida (1%), with completion scheduled for November 2026. Funding comes entirely from the FY2025 NDAA defense budget, allocated to U.S. Navy research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E). Funds were released at the time of contract signing and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year (through September 30, 2025). However, the contract has not yet been completed.
As for LRASM missiles, the currently produced C-1 and C-2 variants have ranges of approximately 320–480 km and 930 km, respectively. The C-3 variant, in turn, is expected to achieve a range of up to 1,600 km. It is also intended to introduce significant upgrades, although most details remain classified. What is known is that the C-3 will feature enhanced data exchange with other platforms (e.g., satellites, drones, ships) to improve reconnaissance and strike coordination, as well as machine learning (artificial intelligence) algorithms to enable autonomous decision-making in dynamic combat environments, particularly under conditions of heavy electronic warfare. It is also expected to receive a more advanced seeker head, either an imaging infrared (IIR) or radio frequency (RF) seeker.
In May and June 2024, Lockheed Martin received three contracts valued at $288 million, $24 million, and $45.9 million for the development of the C-3 variant. It may be designated LRASM-ER (Extended Range).
Regarding the LRASM program as a whole, on July 31 of this year, four production lots (9–12) of C-1/C-2 missiles were ordered; on July 21, a framework agreement was signed for the support of missiles already in service; and on March 13, services related to lots 9 and 10 were contracted. Apart from the U.S. Armed Forces (USAF and U.S. Navy), only Australia has so far decided to acquire LRASM. The United Kingdom, Singapore, Canada, Poland, and Japan (the latter reportedly considering withdrawing from a potential purchase) have also expressed interest.