The US Air Force successfully conducted the ATREUS exercise, which tested the cruise missile drop system.
The training took place in the Arctic on a training ground above the Norwegian Sea. The military transport aircraft of the 352nd Special Operations Wing Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II took part in them. It successfully dropped a pallet of long-range AGM-158B JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range) cruise missiles.
#HappeningNow 352nd Special Operations Wing takes to the skies with their MC-130 J Commando II to conduct the first live fire test in the European theater of a palletized Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM). Stay tuned for more of this historic event! #ATREUS pic.twitter.com/8MfMaSgblW
— US Spec Ops Europe (@US_SOCEUR) November 9, 2022
The cruise missile launch system is called Rapid Dragon. It receives information about the target by radio communication. A special pallet equipped with parachute systems is used for landing AGM-158B JASSM-ER missiles. After the pallet is stabilized in the air, the rocket unfolds its wings, starts the engine and goes to the target, which in our case was located on a test site near the coast of Norway.
The developer of the AGM-158B JASSM-ER is Lockheed Martin. The maximum launch range of the missile is 1000 km. In addition, the Rapid Dragon system allows you to drop AGM-158 JASSM missiles with a range of up to 370 km.