U.S. Air Force Wants Cruise Missile Swarms

The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman contracts for the development of a new low-cost cruise missiles capable of flying in swarms. The new missiles will be designed for compatibility with F-35, F-16, F-15, F-18, B-1, B-2 and B-52 aircraft and will wreak havoc on enemy air defenses. The “Grey Wolf” cruise missiles will have improved fuel-efficient engines and more lethal warheads.

The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. contracts to develop new, lower-cost cruise missiles capable of flying in swarms to target enemy air defenses.

Lockheed, the world’s largest defense contractor, in a release Wednesday announced it received a five-year $110 million contract from the lab to build the “Gray Wolf.”

The weapon will be designed with “networked, collaborative behaviors (swarming) to address Integrated Air Defense (IAD) system threats around the world,” according to the release.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based company’s “concept for the Gray Wolf missile will be an affordable, counter-IAD missile that will operate efficiently in highly contested environments,” Hady Mourad, director of the Advanced Missiles Program at the company’s Missiles and Fire Control division, said in the release.

“Our system is being designed to maximize modularity, allowing our customer to incorporate advanced technologies such as more lethal warheads or more fuel-efficient engines, when those systems become available,” he added.

The first of four development phases is set to run until late 2019, according to Lockheed. Work is expected to be complete in late 2024, according to a defense contract announcement.

Steve Schneider

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