Air Force Awards $694 Million to Put AGM-183A Hypersonic Missile Into Production: Lockheed Martin Contract Marks Shift From Testing to Fielding
The Department of the Air Force announced on October 26 that it has awarded Lockheed Martin a $694 million contract for production and fielding of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), formally moving America's first hypersonic missile from prototyping and flight testing into production; the contract was awarded on September 29 under the Department of War's Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract.
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink called the award "a turning point in our advanced weapons roadmap," saying fielding of the ARRW gives warfighters the ability to penetrate the most advanced anti-access and area-denial systems. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach said the missile delivers unmatched speed, range and lethality to deter adversaries in contested environments.
The ARRW uses a boost-glide design: a solid rocket booster accelerates a glide vehicle to hypersonic speed above Mach 5, after which the vehicle glides to its target and destroys it by kinetic impact. Its range is about 1,000 miles; the B-52H is the primary launch platform and carriage on the B-1B is planned. The Air Force withheld quantities and delivery dates for operational security. The program had been slated for cancellation in March 2023 after failed tests before being revived in 2025, and the Air Force has requested $345.7 million in fiscal 2027 development funding, including $296 million for an "Increment 2" glide vehicle.
Source: GSM News.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 2019年6月，B-52轰炸机挂载AGM-183A进行系留飞行试验（美国空军，公共领域，维基共享资源）
