C-130J Transporter Drops Cruise Missile from Cargo Bay in U.S.A.F. Test

A U.S.A.F. MC-130J Commando II airdropped a Rapid Dragon deployment system containing Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) long-range cruise missile for the first time during tests held at Andoya Space Range, Norway, on November.

The demonstrations were led and developed by the Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation (SDPE), part of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Integrated Capabilities Directorate, in partnership with U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR).

The operational MC-130J aircrew from the 352nd Special Operations Wing airdropped a Rapid Dragon deployment system containing long-range cruise missiles which were sequentially released on a range over the Norwegian Sea as part of U.S. European Command approved, U.S. Special Operations Command led Operational Series ATREUS, the Air Force said in a statement.

In addition to SDPE and SOCEUR, participants supporting this event included U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Det 1, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Dahlgren; Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Systima Technologies, ASR-Pioneer, and Andøya Space Center.

“The Rapid Dragon Experimentation Program is appropriately named, as it advanced rapidly from a concept on paper to a live fire using a developmental prototype in 24 months. Now less than three years from the program inception, Rapid Dragon is being used by SOCEUR in the Arctic Circle,” said Dr. Dean Evans, Rapid Dragon program manager.

Although the Rapid Dragon Experimentation Program has been focused on kinetic munitions, the program’s efforts are now expanding from Palletized Munitions to Palletized Effects, which include kinetic and non-kinetic munitions; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, or ISR, platforms; cargo resupply; humanitarian aid delivery.