Australia Declares JASSM-ER and LRASM Operational on F/A-18F Super Hornets

Australia Declares JASSM-ER and LRASM Operational on F/A-18F Super Hornets

Australia has declared initial operational capability for the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) and AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) on Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornets, marking a significant expansion of the country’s air-launched long-range strike capability. The Australian Department of Defence announced the milestone on September 11, 2026.

The two weapons give the F/A-18F a broader standoff strike role. JASSM-ER is intended for long-range attacks against land targets, while LRASM is optimized for maritime strike against high-value surface targets.

Australia’s Defence Department says the JASSM-ER can engage targets at ranges of up to 900 kilometers from the launch aircraft, while LRASM is designed to operate at ranges exceeding 370 kilometers.

Two Missiles, Two Distinct Strike Missions

The AGM-158B and AGM-158C belong to the same broader U.S.-developed missile family, but they address different operational problems.

JASSM-ER is a precision-guided cruise missile intended to attack fixed or relocatable land targets from outside the immediate engagement envelope of many air-defense systems.

LRASM uses a different mission focus. The weapon is designed to locate and engage high-value maritime targets and incorporates specialized sensing, communications and guidance technologies intended to support operations in contested environments.

The U.S. Department of Defense describes LRASM as derived from JASSM-ER but equipped with a multimode sensor suite, weapons datalink, enhanced anti-jam GPS capabilities and a 1,000-pound penetrator and blast-fragmentation warhead.

Operational Testing Established the Australian Capability

Australia’s declaration follows a series of operational tests designed to demonstrate that the missiles could be prepared, loaded, targeted and employed by Australian crews.

In February 2025, two LRASM missiles were successfully test-fired from RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornets at the Point Mugu Sea Range in California. Two JASSM-ER missiles were subsequently test-fired at the Woomera Test Range in South Australia in November 2025.

The Australian government had already announced in March 2025 that LRASM was ready for operational use following a successful live firing from an RAAF F/A-18F off the California coast. The government said the LRASM acquisition was valued at $895.5 million and would increase Australia’s maritime strike range beyond 370 kilometers.

Operational testing has also continued through multinational activities. During Exercise RIMPAC 2026, an Australian P-8A Poseidon successfully fired an LRASM and struck its target, providing another demonstration of the country’s expanding maritime strike architecture.

Why the F/A-18F Matters

The Australian F/A-18F Super Hornet remains an important component of the RAAF’s combat-aircraft fleet despite the introduction of the F-35A Lightning II.

Australia operates 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets, based at RAAF Base Amberley. The aircraft reached full operational capability in December 2012 and continues to perform air combat, interception and strike missions.

Adding JASSM-ER and LRASM changes the aircraft’s role in an important way. Instead of relying primarily on shorter-range weapons that require the aircraft to operate closer to the target area, the Super Hornet can now deliver long-range land or maritime effects while remaining farther from the defended target.

This is particularly relevant to Australia’s geography. The country operates across an exceptionally large area of responsibility, where distance is a central factor in air operations. A missile’s range can therefore influence not only the aircraft’s ability to reach a target, but also how commanders position aircraft, tankers, intelligence assets and supporting electronic-warfare platforms.

JASSM-ER Extends Australia’s Land-Strike Reach

The JASSM-ER provides Australia with a substantially longer-range air-launched land-attack option than the country’s earlier strike weapons.

According to the Australian Defence Department, the missile is designed to locate, identify and defeat targets at ranges of up to 900 kilometers from the launching aircraft.

The operational significance is not simply the distance represented by the missile’s published range. Standoff weapons can allow an aircraft to launch from outside portions of an adversary’s integrated air-defense engagement area, although actual survivability depends on factors including launch geometry, target location, intelligence quality, electronic warfare, missile routing and the composition of the opposing air-defense network.

That distinction is important. A longer-range missile does not make an aircraft invulnerable, but it gives commanders more options for separating the launch platform from the defended target.

LRASM Adds a Dedicated Maritime Strike Option

LRASM addresses a different operational problem.

The missile is intended to attack high-value maritime targets and is designed to operate in environments where conventional navigation and targeting methods may be challenged by electronic warfare and other defensive measures. The U.S. defense budget describes LRASM as incorporating a multimode sensor suite, weapons datalink and enhanced anti-jam GPS capabilities.

For Australia, that capability is particularly relevant because maritime strike is closely connected to the country’s wider defense strategy.

The RAAF identifies maritime strike from the air as one of the missions performed by its Air Combat Group. The group also operates EA-18G Growlers, which provide electronic attack capabilities alongside the F/A-18F fleet.

The combination matters because long-range strike effectiveness depends on more than the missile itself. Finding a target, maintaining an accurate target picture, generating a viable launch solution and managing the electromagnetic environment are all part of the broader kill chain.

Australia’s Long-Range Strike Architecture Is Expanding

The new IOC declaration forms part of a wider Australian effort to expand guided-weapons capacity.

The Australian Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Plan identifies LRASM and JASSM-ER as major air-launched strike capabilities. The plan states that both AGM-158 variants would initially be integrated with F/A-18F Super Hornets, followed by integration with F-35A Lightning II aircraft.

That creates a pathway toward a more distributed strike force.

The F/A-18F provides a mature and operationally established launch platform, while the F-35A can eventually add its own combination of sensors, low-observable characteristics and networked targeting capabilities.

The future force therefore does not depend on one aircraft type carrying the entire long-range strike mission. Instead, Australia is building a larger family of platforms and weapons that can contribute different parts of the overall mission.

The U.S. Connection Is Central

Australia’s AGM-158 capability also demonstrates the depth of U.S.-Australian defense integration.

The two countries have long worked together on weapons development, acquisition, testing and interoperability. The Australian Defence Department said the introduction of JASSM-ER and LRASM required cooperation among the Royal Australian Air Force, Defence Delivery Group, Joint Capabilities Group, other government organizations and U.S. military and industry partners.

The relationship is continuing into the next generation of Australian air combat weapons.

In August 2026, Australia announced an investment of almost $736 million to acquire the U.S.-developed AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile. The weapon is planned for initial integration with the F/A-18F, followed by the F-35A and EA-18G Growler.

Taken together, these acquisitions show that the Super Hornet is becoming an important launch platform for multiple classes of long-range weapons rather than simply serving as a transitional aircraft between older Australian fighters and the F-35A.

What the IOC Declaration Changes

The most important distinction is between a weapon being acquired or test-fired and a capability being formally declared operational.

Australia’s September 2026 announcement confirms that the RAAF has completed enough operational testing and integration work to declare initial operational capability for both missiles on the F/A-18F.

IOC does not mean that every planned capability or future integration milestone has been completed. It establishes an operational baseline from which Australia can continue expanding the system, building experience, increasing readiness and integrating the weapons with additional platforms.

For Australia’s air force, the immediate result is greater flexibility in planning long-range strike missions.

Strategic Significance for the Indo-Pacific

Australia’s long-range strike expansion is relevant to the broader Indo-Pacific security environment because geography places substantial emphasis on maritime access, airbase survivability and the ability to operate over long distances.

Long-range air-launched missiles allow combat aircraft to contribute to strike operations without necessarily penetrating as deeply into defended airspace. They can also complicate an opponent’s planning by increasing the number of potential launch locations and attack axes that must be considered.

That is particularly significant when combined with Australia’s broader investments in air combat, electronic warfare, maritime surveillance, guided weapons and allied interoperability.

The capability also fits Australia’s stated approach of strengthening deterrence through the ability to hold military forces and infrastructure at risk from greater distances. Australia’s Chief of Air Force said the new long-range maritime and land strike capabilities are intended to increase aircraft lethality and help avoid increasingly sophisticated air defenses.

What Comes Next

The September 2026 IOC declaration is therefore best understood as a milestone rather than the endpoint of Australia’s long-range strike program.

Australia is continuing to develop a broader network of aircraft, sensors, electronic-warfare systems and long-range weapons. The F/A-18F now provides an operational launch platform for both JASSM-ER and LRASM, while future integration with the F-35A is intended to extend the AGM-158 family’s role across Australia’s air combat fleet.

For the RAAF, the immediate significance is clear: the F/A-18F Super Hornet can now deliver both long-range land attack and maritime strike with operationally declared AGM-158 weapons.

That gives Australia greater standoff strike flexibility and adds depth to its broader air and maritime deterrence architecture.