The US Air Force's ability to drop precision-guided munitions from an unmodified cargo plane provides the United States and its allies an additional response option, strengthening their deterrence capabilities.

Rapid Dragon, a long-range palletized munition system, is a disposable weapons module for medium-sized or larger cargo aircraft that allows US and NATO forces a flexible rapid response option.

The module -- a "deployment box" -- is airdropped in order to deploy flying munitions such as the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) from an unmodified cargo plane like a C-130 or C-17.

The box can carry up to six missiles and is stabilized by parachutes shortly after the Rapid Dragon system is deployed into the target area.

Without interfering with one another, the missiles separate from the platform and then launch in combat mode while carrying loaded target data at specified coordinates.

The C-130, for instance, can carry up to five "deployment boxes." This capability turns cargo planes into attack aircraft without requiring expensive or time consuming modifications, and allows for the firing of up to 30 missiles in a single salvo.

The Rapid Dragon system provides the ability to launch missiles from outside the enemy's air defense zone.

Easily exportable system

Rapid Dragon was first demonstrated on last November 9 over Norway by the US Air Force and US Special Operations Command-Europe (SOCEUR).

They successfully completed a live firing of a JASSM-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) long-range cruise missile on a Norwegian range.

The Rapid Dragon system, capable of deploying long-range cruise missiles using standard airdrop procedures from a cargo aircraft, was successfully deployed from an MC-130J Commando II.

The MC-130J Commando II "flies clandestine, or low visibility, single or multi-ship, low-level infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of special operations forces, by airdrop or airland," according to an Air Force fact sheet.

"The MC-130J primarily flies missions at night to reduce probability of visual acquisition and intercept by airborne threats," it said.

The Norway test was the first time Rapid Dragon was employed in the US European Command theater.

During the test, the MC-130J airdropped two pallets of a total of 18 JASSMs -- nearly as much as what a B-1 or B-52 bomber can carry.

The test was key for NATO allies. The Rapid Dragon can provide quick and timely air support to any US ally because it is mobile and can be quickly transported by cargo warplanes.

Once launched, the Rapid Dragon can decide to release all missiles at once, or one after the other.

In one of the latest Rapid Dragon tests, an AGM-158 JASSM cruise missile reached a target 925km away.

"It's really easily exportable to our partners and allies around the globe that may want to increase the utility of their air force," said Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, Air Force Special Operations Command (FSOC) commander, last November.

"When you look at partner capability, we have a lot of partners around the globe that don't have heavy bomber-type platforms that would be traditional carriers of those types of munitions, but they've got plenty of C-130s proliferated around the world," he said.

Advantages of JASSM

One of the key advantages of the JASSM, a low-observable standoff air-launched cruise missile, is its standoff capability, which allows it to strike targets from a safe distance without exposing the launching aircraft to enemy defenses.

The original version of the JASSM has a range of 370km, while the JASSM-ER has a range of approximately 1,000km, providing more reach, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Defense Project.

Equipped with 432kg warheads, the JASSM and JASSM-ER feature identical, low observable airframes designed to evade enemy air defenses. They are designed to be highly survivable, with stealth features that reduce their radar cross-section and make them difficult to detect and track.

The missile also has a low-altitude, terrain-following capability that allows it to fly at very low altitudes and avoid detection by enemy radar systems.

The JASSM-ER, when equipped with a weapon data link, can correct course after launch, enabling it to hit moving targets on land or at sea.

Entering service with the US Air Force in 2014, the JASSM-ER is fully integrated across multiple platforms, including B-1 and B-52 bombers and F-15E and F-16 fighters.

Each B-1 bomber, also known as the B-1B Lancer, can carry 24 JASSM-ERs, while each B-52 can carry up to 12 of the missiles on its wing pylons and another eight inside its bomb bay.

The missile can be used to strike a wide range of targets, including command and control centers, air defense systems, communication facilities and high-value infrastructure targets such as power plants and bridges.