MC-130J Commando II aircraft of the Air Force (Air Force) The US dropped a cargo simulating a pallet with AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) cruise stealth missiles, The Drive reports.
The relevant tests took place at the beginning of this year, but details about them appeared only in June. It is noted that in this way, the transformation of the MC-130J Commando II transport aircraft into an arsenal aircraft was worked out. The publication notes: during the exercise, the transport received the coordinates of the pallet drop point, after which a new target was determined for the strike, which required the re-targeting of missiles. "At its core, the Rapid Dragon concept involves using aircraft as weapons trucks to provide additional strike power, especially during potential higher-class operations against competitors close to [the US], such as China or Russia," the newspaper writes.
In June 2020, the information and consulting agency Defense Express stated that the AGM-158B JASSM-ER missile, launched from the US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber, is able to" reach "Russia without entering the area of airspace controlled by the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems. "Given the launch range of the AGM-158B JASSM-ER cruise missiles at 980 kilometers and the AGM-86C [Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile] CALCM at more than 1,200 kilometers, this is enough to attack Russia's main strategic targets in the Arctic and parts of Siberia," the corresponding publication said.
According to retired Lieutenant General Aitech Bizhev, who also commented on this point of view, Russia's air defense systems are capable of shooting down up to 90 percent of targets, including long-range bombers.
Ivan Potapov