First photo of US Navy P-8A Poseidon with LRASM missile emerges
P-8A aircraft with rocket LRASM over the Mojave Desert in mid-August 2025. The inset shows a visualization of the LRASM CR.
A US Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft was recently spotted for the first time carrying a Long Range Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (LRASM) in flight on August 28, 2025 aviation Photographer Aaron Maurer posted a photo on the X blogosphere of a plane flying over the Mojave Desert with a missile clearly visible under the left wing.
The Navy later confirmed to Newsweek that the missile was an LRASM and said work was underway to integrate it with the P-8A.
The integration of LRASM has been known for several years, but Maurer's image is particularly interesting because it is the first photo in which weapon installed on the aircraft's underwing pylon in flight, likely during a test flight.
“This photo was taken in mid-August over the Mojave,” Maurer said. “I didn’t mention LRASM at first because I was trying to keep it low-key, but people noticed it anyway.”
“Spending a lot of time in the Mojave area, I watch the skies constantly. I wasn’t listening to the scanner, just listening for the faint hum of something in the air. The first one to fly overhead was a KC-46 Pegasus. A few seconds later, a P-8 Poseidon followed in the same direction. Both continued north until they were finally out of sight. I don’t know where they came from, but it was cool to see them. Nothing should surprise you in the Mojave Desert, but a P-8 with an LRASM under its wing was a surprise. It’s always good to keep your eyes and ears open.”
— from Aaron Maurer's publication.AGM-158C anti-ship missile
The AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is a derivative of the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range (JASSM-ER) and is a new stealth cruise missile developed by DARPA for the U.S. Air Force and Navy. According to NAVAIR, the LRASM is a short-term solution to the Over-the-Sea Surface Warfare (OASuW) mission, filling a gap in air-launched capabilities with a flexible, long-range weapon capable of striking high-value maritime targets in hardened environments.
The missile is designed to operate with minimal reliance on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), datalinks and GPS, even in the face of intense electronic countermeasures. Once launched, LRASM navigates to its home point using GPS guidance and then autonomously detects, classifies and attacks a target vessel using onboard electro-optical sensors. Advanced algorithms allow it to refine target coordinates and target specific vessels in contested waters.
The OASuW Increment 1 program includes three variants: LRASM 1.0, LRASM 1.1, and LRASM C-3. The baseline LRASM 1.0 cruise missile achieved early operational capability in 2019 and is already installed on the B-1B Lancer and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
The next missile, LRASM 1.1, scheduled to enter service in 2023, is currently undergoing initial operational testing and technical evaluation, according to the director of operational test and evaluation. Integration with the P-8A Poseidon is also underway, with completion originally expected in the summer of 2024 but later pushed back to 2025. The P-8A Poseidon can already carry four AGM-84 Harpoon missiles on four underwing hardpoints for surface and land strike missions, but the new missile gives the Poseidon additional, improved capabilities for long-range maritime and land strike missions.
On September 10, 2025, the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet completed flight tests to certify the fighter variant as a carrier for the AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM).
Modification Module 3 block 2
The new missile is being integrated into the U.S. Navy's Increment 3 Block 2 upgrade of the first of 141 P-8A aircraft.
Module 3 Block 2 represents a significant step forward for Poseidon, introducing improvements to both the airframe and avionics. The package includes new pylons, radomes, antennas, sensors and wiring, as well as a completely updated onboard systems suite. This includes increased computing power, a more secure architecture, a wideband satellite communications system, anti-submarine electronic intelligence capabilities, a missile trajectory management system, and expanded communications and acoustic detection systems for improved search, detection and targeting.
"Increment 3 Block 2 delivers the capabilities for which the P-8A was originally designed. These modifications will enable crews to search, detect, and track the world's most advanced submarines, enabling the fleet "We are committed to ensuring that our mission is effective in combat and that we have the capabilities and capabilities to win the fight," said Capt. Eric Thomas, program manager for the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Command (PMA-290). "This delivery demonstrates the outstanding work ethic, professionalism and dedication of the PMA-290 crew to the fleet."
According to the service, these modifications will equip the fleet with the full range of anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities envisioned in the P-8A program's evolutionary acquisition strategy.
The modification work is being performed by Boeing at its Cecil Airport maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Jacksonville, Florida, and the first P-8A Poseidon "Increment 3 Block 2" (I3B2) aircraft made its first flight after the modification in June 2025.
Render showing Poseidon equipped with the new Multi-Purpose Pod (MMP).
Improving the capabilities of the P-8 aircraft
The continued integration of LRASM missiles onto U.S. warplanes comes as China seeks to project growing military power, highlighted by a massive parade held on Sept. 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany and militaristic Japan in World War II. At the same time, tensions are also rising in the Western Hemisphere, where the U.S. military launched a missile strike on a vessel suspected of carrying drugs from Venezuela. It was reportedly the first known direct use of military force against a drug cartel’s maritime operations since the deployment of additional U.S. warships to the Caribbean region, further underscoring the need for effective maritime patrol and strike platforms.
As Newsweek’s Ryan Chang noted in his coverage of the LRASM integration, China now has the world’s largest navy by size, with more than 370 ships and submarines. These forces bolster Beijing’s efforts to expand its presence in the Western Pacific and to establish a direct counterforce capability to the United States in the region. In response, the United States has deployed land-based anti-ship missiles in the Pacific and continues to build capabilities using American anti-ship weapons against surface and land targets.
In this context, the P-8A Poseidon, designed for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence-gathering (ISR) missions, remains a key asset. The US Navy regularly deploys the aircraft for patrols and joint exercises in strategic locations such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, where tensions with China remain high, but also deploys the Poseidon in the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean, where it monitors drug trafficking routes and Venezuelan naval activity.
The addition of LRASM, along with the Increment 3 Block 2 upgrade and Multi-Purpose Pod, will significantly enhance Poseidon’s ability to counter surface threats in both theaters. This ensures that the aircraft can not only track surface targets, but also engage enemy ships at greater ranges, enhancing U.S. and allied capabilities against both China’s growing naval power in the Indo-Pacific and emerging threats in the Western Hemisphere.
The P-8A Poseidon basic patrol aviation (BPA) complex was accepted into service by the US Navy in 2013. It was created as part of the MMA (Multimission Maritime Aircraft) program to replace the P-3C Orion. In order to reduce the time and cost of research and development (R&D), the P-8A Poseidon was created on the basis of the Boeing 737 civilian airliner, which met the requirements for flight performance. The onboard equipment and weapons were based on systems improved as part of the P-3C Orion modernization program. A longer endurance (up to 10 hours) and a flight range of 4 nautical miles (500 km) were achieved by installing five additional tanks in the fuselage. In addition, the aircraft is equipped with an in-flight refueling system. The lower tail section of the P-8A aircraft contains an internal weapons bay, which contains six beam holders for suspension of aircraft weapons (AWS) with a total load of up to 300 kg, rotary ten-shot and pneumatic four-shot devices for dropping RGAB. External weapons suspension units are located on the wing consoles with two pylons on each and in the forward lower part of the fuselage. Two fuselage BRU-8 pylons and four similar underwing ones are designed for a load of up to 5 pounds (670 kg) each.
The P-8A Poseidon aircraft can be armed with up to 10 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles, AGM-84K SLAM-ER ATA air-to-surface missiles (up to four missiles), small-sized 324 mm torpedoes - Mk 46, Mk 50, Mk 54, depth charges and sea mines. In addition, the range of weapons used includes JDAM guided air bombs and JSOW guided air cassettes. After upgrading under the Increment 3 Block 2 program, the P-8A Poseidon will be able to carry up to six AGM-158C LRASM missiles on external mounts after testing is completed. The missile has a range of more than 200 nautical miles (370 km), according to a statement from a Lockheed Martin spokesman. The launch weight of the missile is 2 pounds (760 kg). The missile's CEP is 1 feet 250 inches (9 m).
These same suspension units (BRU-32 launch pylons) can carry not only the anti-ship AGM-158C LRASM, but also other modifications of this missile – long-range cruise missiles designed to strike ground targets AGM-158B with a flight range of up to 1 km or even more advanced AGM-000D with a flight range of up to 158 km. That is, in essence, the P-1A Poseidon UAV aircraft turns into a strategic missile carrier.
I wouldn't be surprised if, over time, when we finally see Raytheon's newest strategic nuclear cruise missile, the AGM-181A LRSO, it turns out that its launch pylons, locks, and SRs are identical to those of the AGM-158 JASSM. Another, and not the first, obvious violation of the START-3 Treaty.
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