USS John Warner is First Virginia-Class Attack Sub to
Fire Missiles in Anger
By: Ben Werner
April 16, 2018 7:05 PM * Updated: April 17, 2018 6:53 AM,
USNI
THE PENTAGON - Saturday's pre-dawn joint air strike
against three Syrian chemical weapons facilities was notable not just for its
success, but for also being the first time a Virginia-class submarine fired
missiles in combat and the first time Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff
Missiles-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) were used tactically, USNI News has learned.
When attack boat USS John Warner (SSN-785) launched six
Tomahawk land-attack missiles from the Eastern Mediterranean, it was the first
time a Virginia-class submarine fired shots "in anger," or at an
enemy target rather than for testing or training purposes, according to a Navy
spokesperson.
John Warner not only hit its assigned target but did so
during its first deployment and while successfully evading a Russian
sub-hunter, which was reportedly tracking a British Astute-class submarine also
operating in the region, according to Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the
Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
"Using these new systems in this particular operation
can provide U.S. leaders and planners information regarding the ability of a
high-end competitor like Russia to counter them," Clark told USNI News.
"These real-world operations provide valuable
feedback on tactics and employment concepts."
The JASSM-ER strikes were noteworthy for their
effectiveness reaching targets and also because of the platform firing these
missiles. These missiles were fired from two U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers that
remained about 200 miles outside of Syrian airspace. All JASSMs were able to
evade Syrian air defense systems.
B-1B bombers don't have the same level of stealth as the
Air Force F-22 Raptor or the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and could be more easily
detected by Syrian air-defense systems, Jerry Hendrix, a senior fellow at the
Center for a New American Security, told USNI News. But the Russian-made
systems reportedly never detected the B-1B bombers because they remained safely
out of range.
Lockheed Martin, the JASSM-ER manufacturer, is currently
developing a Navy version - the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) - to be
fired from F/A-18E/F warplanes. The company and Navy officials have previously
stated they expect the LRASM will be ready for use in 2019.
During a December test, a B-1B bomber simultaneously
launched two production-configuration LRASMs against multiple maritime targets,
marking an important step toward meeting early capability milestones, according
to a statement released by Lockheed Martin.
"What we saw here is the JASSM, or LRASM, is going
to be able to give legacy aircraft the ability to use these stand-off missiles
outside their (air defense) range," Hendrix said.
In addition to Warner and the B-1B strikes, the operation
was also the combat debut of the French Missile de Croisiere Naval land attack
missile, according to the news site Navy Recognition.
"Designed and produced by MBDA, the naval cruise
missile (French designation Missile de Croisiere Naval or MdCN) provides deep
strike capabilities within enemy territory. With a range of several hundred
kilometers, the naval cruise missile is capable of destroying infrastructure
targets of high strategic value," reported the site.
The French frigate Languedoc (D-653) fired three MdCN
missiles, which is the naval variant of the air-launched SCALP land-attack cruise
missile, as part of the operation.
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