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A new air-launched hypersonic missile is entering the production phase as the first ultra-high-speed weapon for the service, according to an Air Force statement.
The office of Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in the statement made public Monday that a $694 million contract was awarded to the missile manufacturer Lockheed Martin for production and fielding of the Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), also known by its military designator as the AGM-183A.
“This is a turning point in our advanced weapons roadmap,” said Mr. Meink. “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.”
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No details were provided on when the missile will be operationally deployed.
The missile will be carried by B-52 bombers and an Air Force photo published along with Monday’s announcement showed one of the new missiles deployed under the wing of a B-52 as crews from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, and Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, looked on. The caption said the crews were practicing “hypersonic weapon familiarization training” at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam in 2024.
The announcement marked the transition of the unpowered, boost-glide hypersonic missile from prototyping and flight testing to production.
The Air Force said the new missile will strengthen the service’s “commitment to fielding standoff, high-speed strike options.”
Dropped from B-52s, the new missile ignites and accelerates to hypersonic speed — greater than 3,836 miles per hour or more than five times the speed of sound using a solid-fuel rocket booster.
The glide vehicle is then released for maneuverable flight, normally along the edge of Earth’s atmosphere to a target.
The missile will be used by the Air Force to attack time-sensitive, heavily defended and high-value targets from long ranges, the statement said.
“Fielding ARRW enhances our ability to hold targets at risk anywhere around the world,” said Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Ken Wilsbach. “This hypersonic weapon provides the Joint Force a flexible and rapid response option for highly contested environments.”
The new Air Force missile joins the Army’s ground-launched Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, called Dark Eagle, in production.
The Pentagon is rapidly building hypersonic missiles as part of a high-speed missile race with China.
China currently deploys two unique hypersonic missiles, the 1,500-mile range DF-17 medium-range missile and the 5,000-mile range DF-27, which the Pentagon has stated pose a threat to Guam and U.S. allies in Asia.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned in November 2024 that the Chinese military’s hypersonic missiles could sink all U.S. aircraft carriers, the military’s main power projection systems, in the first minutes of a conflict.
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