US Forces Test-Drop Cruise Missile From an Aircraft

American forces airdropped a cruise missile from an aircraft for the first time in Europe, as part of a test exercise.  The test occurred inside the Arctic Circle at the remote Andoya Space Defence Range in Norway.

It involved a US Air Force MC-130J Hercules Commando aircraft dropping a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM).

Two Air Force Special Operations Command wings on Nov. 9 conducted the first live-fire demonstration of Rapid Dragon, a long-range palletized munitions system, in the U.S. European Command theater over the Norway range.

More than 40 countries operate C-130 Hercules aircraft, but AFSOC has been the only U.S. Air Force combatant command to demonstrate this system.