U.S. greenlights $104M air-to-surface missile sale to Japan

The Biden administration notified Congress Monday that it has approved the potential sale to Japan of over $100 million in air-to-surface missiles.

The $104 million Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range (JASSM-ER) sale approval sets off a congressional notification period, but Capitol Hill is highly unlikely to oppose the sale.

It includes up to 50 AGM-158B/B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range, JASSM Anti-jam Global Positioning System Receivers (JAGR), training missiles, and missile containers; munitions support and support equipment; spare parts, consumables, accessories, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).

The Pentagon agency said that the sale would include repair support, integration equipment, classified and unclassified software delivery and support and transportation support.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region," the DSCA said in a statement.

The sale will bolster the ability of Japan's military to "meet current and future threats by providing stand-off capability via advanced, long-range strike systems," including for its F-15J fighter jets, the agency added.

Lockheed Martin will be the sale's principal contractor.