US Long Range Anti-Ship Missile Achieves 'Operational Capability' - Contractor

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The US Air Force has taken delivery of a first batch of Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM), a key step in the weapon winning Early Operational Capability (EOC) certification, the defence contractor Lockheed Martin announced in a press release on Tuesday.

"After successfully completing the required integration, flight testing and modeling and simulation, warfighters accepted the first of many tactical production units, meeting key criteria for the EOC declaration milestone," the release said.

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The term EOC is widely used in military or government procurement, indicating that a product has been developed to a minimal level needed for deployment.

LRASM is designed to identify and destroy specific targets within groups of ships by employing advanced technologies that reduce dependence on external reconnaissance such data from GPS satellites.