Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Lockheed Martin, Roketsan to develop cruise missile for F-35s

Lockheed Martin, Roketsan to develop cruise missile for F-35s: A mid-range standoff cruise missile for use on F-35 fighters is being developed by Lockheed Martin and its Turkish partner, Roketsan.

The SOM-J will feature GPS guidance, aided by inertial, terrain-referenced and image-based navigation systems and an imaging infrared seeker. It will be based on the SOM missile developed by the Defense Research and Development Institute of Turkey and operational with the Turkish Air Force.

Roketstan is licensed by the Turkish institute to produce and market the SOM.

Lockheed Martin said the agreement of cooperation with Roketstan allows the two companies to build upon an earlier technical assistance agreement and will make the SOM-J missile available to international customers.