First JASSM flight goes smoothly Published Aug. 29, 2007 By Senior Airman Danny Monahan Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- A B-52H Stratofortress from here flew a sortie testing a new joint air-to-surface standoff missile Aug. 21. The 5th Bomb Wing will test fly two missions a week for 12 weeks with an AGM-158 JASSM. The AGM-158 JASSM is a cruise missile powered by a turbojet capable of flying 200 nautical miles designed to destroy enemy targets, such as air defense sites, hardened bunkers and bridges. "Air crews here will have to fly with [the JASSM] anywhere from 125 to 150 hours to test its effectiveness," said Chief Master Sgt. John Denning, 5th Munitions Squadron. Arriving here Aug. 17, the 5th Munitions Squadron went right to work taking the JASSM out of its transport container and prepping it for flight. "We have to look it over physically to make sure there is no visible damage to it and then we have to inspect the electronics to make sure it is in good working order, "said Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Lewis, 5th MUNS. After the JASSM is cleared, it is uploaded for flight and treated as a live weapon. "We employ these like they are going into combat," said Master Sgt. Phillip Morgan, 5th MUNS. "They will then fly the mission with them and gather the data." Touching down around 4 p.m. Aug. 21, the first flight went as planned. "The flight went extremely well," said Maj. Andy McElvaine, the navigator instructor on board. "All aspects of the weapon's internal functions and interface with the B-52 avionics performed as expected. Additionally, the flight provided a valuable opportunity for flight crew to get hands-on experience with missile pre-flight procedures." The 23rd BS is confident a weapon like this will help the Air Force's future warfighting efforts. "The JASSM provides precision strike capability coupled with stand off range, allowing our aircraft to accurately strike targets while minimizing exposure to enemy defense systems," said Major McElvaine. The JASSM is being tested at Minot Air Force Base, as well as five other bases.