BAE Systems to deliver advanced stealth missile sensors for LRASM

BAE Systems is to supply additional radio-frequency (RF) sensors that provide critical guidance capabilities for the stealthy Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), the company announced on 21 August 2025.

The company actually received its latest contract for the RF sensors from LRASM prime contractor Lockheed Martin in December 2024, but has been delivering RF sensors for the LRASM programme since 2018. Under this new production contract BAE Systems will deliver RF sensors through to 2030. The large-lot procurement helps the government to build a capable maritime strike arsenal while reducing acquisition costs.

“BAE Systems is dedicated to its work with Lockheed Martin to provide discriminating capabilities to the warfighter,” Vanessa Varrati, LRASM sensor programme director at BAE Systems, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “This contract recognises our technical and operational expertise that brings this critical deterrence and strike capability to the US Navy and US Air Force.”

Derived from the combat-proven Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), LRASM is a precision-guided intelligent anti-ship missile designed to interdict a variety of surface threats at very long range, navigating semi-autonomously to the target and delivering a precise payload from safe, stand-off range. LRASM is designed to bring additional, advanced long-range sea and land strike capabilities to the B-1B, F/A-18E/F, F-35B/C, P-8 and F-15 aircraft.

LRASM reached an initial operational capability on the B-1B in December 2018 and on the F/A-18E/F in November 2019.

Looking to the future, BAE Systems stated that it is developing modular, scalable systems to meet the needs of future warfighters.

“We’re anticipating the need for small, powerful, multi-function hardware that can work on a variety of platforms, and we’re building the core elements today,” said Ed Leonard, director of BAE Systems’ Small Form Factor Solutions business.