A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit has fired the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) for the first time during a live exercise, sinking the retired amphibious transport dock USS Juneau as part of Valiant Shield 2026 in the western Pacific.
The missile struck the target vessel on June 27 during a SINKEX (sinking exercise) held more than 200 nautical miles from the Mariana Islands. The event brought together U.S. and allied air, naval and submarine forces against a decommissioned ship under controlled conditions.
The LRASM is a stealth cruise missile developed from the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM). Designed for maritime warfare, it can engage surface combatants at ranges exceeding 200 nautical miles while using onboard sensors to identify and track targets in contested environments.
The B-2 had previously taken part in sinking exercises, but with different weapons. During Valiant Shield 2024, the bomber released the experimental QUICKSINK precision-guided bomb, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory to attack ships. The LRASM extends the aircraft's reach far beyond that capability and allows it to strike naval targets from stand-off distances.
The U.S. Air Force has already integrated the LRASM with the B-1B Lancer, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and P-8A Poseidon. The B-2 now joins that group, giving the stealth bomber a dedicated long-range anti-ship weapon alongside its conventional and nuclear strike missions.
The USS Juneau entered service in 1969 as an Austin-class amphibious transport dock. The ship deployed during the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm before leaving service in 2008. It underwent environmental remediation before the exercise in accordance with U.S. regulations governing the disposal of retired naval vessels.
Other participants in the SINKEX included F-35C Lightning II and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters from USS George Washington, an F-15E Strike Eagle from the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron and a submarine of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, which also fired a torpedo at the target.
Held every two years, Valiant Shield is one of the U.S. military's largest exercises in the Pacific, bringing together forces from multiple services and allied nations to rehearse complex operations across the maritime domain.
