US OKs Sale of JASSM-ER Missiles to Italy, GBU-39/B Bombs to S. Korea
The US State Department has cleared the potential foreign military sales (FMS) of air-launched, precision-guided weapons to Italy and South Korea.
This involves Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range (JASSM-ER) for Italy under an approximately $301-million deal, and GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs-Increment I (SDB-I) for South Korea with an estimated cost of $111.8 million.
The 2025 approval marks Rome’s first publicly announced JASSM-ER request, while the GBU-39/B is considered Seoul’s additional acquisition, expanding its existing inventory.
JASSM-ER for Italy
Rome has requested 100 AGM-158B/B-2 JASSM-ER made by Lockheed Martin, along with related components and program support.
It features a range of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), extending beyond the JASSM’s baseline of 500 nautical miles (575 miles/926 kilometers), and is fitted with a 450-kilogram (992-pound) WDU-42/B penetrator warhead, CSIS reported.
The stealthy cruise missile provides “stand-off capability via advanced, long-range strike systems for employment on Italian fighter aircraft, including but not limited to F-35 aircraft,” according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
GBU-39/B for South Korea
Meanwhile, South Korea’s request for 624 GBU-39/B SDB-I munitions will be added to a previous case valued at $18.8 million, considered under the congressional notification threshold.
The package includes 387 GBU-39/B SDB-Is; aircraft components, spares, and accessories; explosive charges, devices, propellants, and components; spare parts, consumables and accessories, repair and return support; and related elements of logistics and program support.
Made by Boeing, the precision glide bombs have a range of over 60 miles (96 kilometers). They are intended to increase the East Asian country’s “critical air defense capability to deter aggression in the region and to ensure interoperability with US forces,” the DSCA noted.
