A sailor launches an F-35C Lightning II aircraft assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 147 off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington while underway in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, Aug. 21, 2026, to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. (U.S. Navy photo)
The Pentagon, reversing course on a program that almost was canceled earlier, has called for the production of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, the first hypersonic missile for the U.S. Air Force.
The U.S. Air Force has announced a $694 million contract with Lockheed Martin for the project.
A report at the Washington Examiner explained the contract was signed Sept. 29 but not revealed until this week.
The announcement confirms the shift from the prototype and testing stage to production.
Troy Meink, secretary of the Air Force said, “By moving ARRW from test to production, we’re providing our combatant commanders with a credible, high-speed strike weapon capable of penetrating the most advanced anti-access and area-denial systems.”
It will allow the U.S. to have “a flexible and rapid response option,” said Ken Wilsbach, the Air Force chief of staff.
There had been several setbacks in the testing and officials told Congress in 2023 that there were no plans to move forward with the missile, in light of a competing model.
However, the other project stalled and this configuration later proved possible in tests,
The Air Force earlier requested $296 million “to begin [ARRW] [Increment 2] technology efforts such as but not limited to integrating pre-planned product improvements, design, trade studies, hardware upgrades, facilitization, affordability initiatives, and testing.”
This design has a rocket launched from a B-2 or B-52 bomber. The payload then is pushed to the upper atmosphere and detaches and glides to a target, traveling in excess of Mach 5.
It also can maneuver more “erratically” than a ballistic missile, making it harder to intercept.
It is considered a shipkiller.
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[ H/T WorldNetDaily ]
