Final Environmental Assessment of the Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-Off Missile (JASSM) Development and Evaluation Testing, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico
Abstract
The JASSM Program Office (AAC/YV) proposes flight test missions between November 2001 and December 2003. All JASSM flight tests will terminate in established, designated impact areas in the northern portion of the range well within the WSMR boundaries. JASSM is a joint U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy conventional weapon development program that provides our nation's warfighters with a precision guided, standoff range capability that can defeat a variety of enemy targets. The highly survivable airframe uses state-of-art technologies to achieve its mission requirements. The flight test program is needed to demonstrate and verify key/critical performance parameters, including missile integration and employment, mission planning, weapon lethality, and other system performance requirements. WSMR was chosen as the JASSM test location because available infrastructure and existing target assets. Duplication of these capabilities at other locations or test installations, or the construction of new targets is cost prohibitive and undesirable. The no action alternative would inhibit the progress of the JASSM program and could compromise national defense. Climate, geology, soil, air, water, vegetation, wildlife, socioeconomic, and other resources have been evaluated and determined to not be significantly affected or changed by the Proposed Action. The targets are all located in established impact areas. The Proposed Action and subsequent clean-up activities would cause a negligible impact to soils and would not significantly affect the biological environment. Proposed impact points are in previously disturbed ground, which has been set aside as designated targets areas. The majority of the proposed impact areas are free from vegetation or have very sparse vegetational and animal communities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA605361