IRIA News

The United States Army has awarded defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin a $756 million contract for delivering additional capability for the ground-based hypersonic system, the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW).

According to the Lockheed Martin statement, under the new contract, the company will provide the U.S. Army with additional LRHW battery equipment, systems and software engineering support, and logistics solutions.

“LRHW will introduce a new class of ultrafast and maneuverable long-range hypersonic missiles with the ability to launch from ground mobile platforms. The LRHW weapon system is designed to launch the common hypersonic All Up Round (AUR) – provided by the U.S. Navy-managed Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) program – and includes the Army canister, a battery operations center, and transporter erector launchers,” the Lockheed Martin statement read.

In 2021, Lockheed Martin delivered U.S. soldiers with the equipment for the first Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) battery, known as Dark Eagle. The defense firm is pacing efforts to support the U.S. Army’s crucial national security needs and enhance warfighting capabilities.

Vice president of Hypersonic Strike Weapon Systems at Lockheed Martin, Steve Layne said, “Lockheed Martin is proud to continue our strong partnership with the U.S. government for hypersonic strike capability.”

Layne highlighted that “With this contract, we will support the U.S. Army to sustain the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon System currently in the hands of U.S. soldiers, produce additional batteries for future fielding, and support flight testing.”

U.S. leading defense manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, is working in close partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Army, the Air Force, and the Navy to transition hypersonic concepts to operational reality.

Lockheed Martin is working on several hypersonic systems including:

• Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) aims to leverage the common hypersonic glide body and introduce a new class of ultrafast and maneuverable long-range missiles with the ability to launch from ground mobile platforms.
• Conventional Prompt Strike: the hypersonic boost-glide missile development and test program aims to provide longer range, shorter flight times, and high survivability against enemy defenses.
• Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) program combines critical high-speed flight technologies and accelerates the weaponization of air-to-ground hypersonic strike capabilities for the U.S. Air Force.
• Hypersonic Air-Launched Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (HALO) program that enables carrier-based aircraft to conduct high-speed stand-off strikes against high-value surface threats and allows the U.S. Navy to operate in and control contested battlespaces.

Hypersonic Weapon System

A hypersonic missile is a cutting-edge weapon system designed to travel at speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5, and potentially reaching velocities of Mach 20 or higher. A hypersonic glide vehicle is deployed into the upper atmosphere through a rocket. Such vehicles can travel at speeds of more than 6,200 kilometers per hour.

The hypersonic missiles utilize advanced propulsion systems, such as scramjet engines, to achieve unparalleled speed and maneuverability, making them extremely difficult to detect and intercept by traditional air defense systems.

Hypersonic missiles offer rapid response times and the capability to strike targets with precision over long distances, presenting a significant challenge to existing defense mechanisms. Due to their incredible speed and agility, hypersonic missiles have the potential to revolutionize military strategy by offering enhanced strike capabilities and the ability to penetrate even the most sophisticated air defense networks.

Hypersonic missile technologies have been tested by both the United States and France, whereas China and Russia are reported to have deployed hypersonic missiles capable of delivering conventional or nuclear warheads.

All major U.S. defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, General Atomic, and RTX (Raytheon Technologies) are working to develop their own versions of hypersonic weapons in order to meet the increasing demand of the U.S. Department of Defense.