The U.S. Air Force has announced a $694 million contract with Lockheed Martin for the production and fielding of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) hypersonic missile.
Under the contract, production and fielding of the hypersonic missile, designed to strike targets protected by advanced air defense systems from long distances, is planned.
The U.S. Air Force has withheld missile quantities and delivery schedules, citing operational security.
ARRW uses a solid-fuel rocket booster to accelerate beyond Mach 5 before releasing its hypersonic glide vehicle.
ARRW is being developed to conduct long-range precision strikes against high-value, fixed and time-sensitive land targets in areas protected by anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems.
ARRW is based on a hypersonic glide vehicle architecture that relies on high-speed impact to destroy its target…