U.S. Air Force Awards Lockheed Martin $694 Million Contract for Hypersonic Missile Production

The award moves the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon from prototyping and flight testing into production.

A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 419th Flight Test Squadron takes off from Edwards Air Force Base, California, Aug. 8. The aircraft conducted a captive-carry flight test of the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon Instrumented Measurement Vehicle 2 hypersonic prototype at the Point Mugu Sea Range off the Southern California coast. [U.S. Air Force Photo]

 

Nov. 5, 2026

 

The Department of the Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $694 million contract on September 29 to produce and field the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW).

 

The award formally moves the boost-glide program from prototyping and flight testing into production. The contract establishes a production phase for the Air Force’s air-launched hypersonic strike program.

 

ARRW is designed to use a solid-fuel rocket booster to accelerate beyond Mach 5 before releasing a hypersonic glide vehicle for standoff strikes against time-sensitive, heavily defended, high-value targets.

 

ARRW is integrated on the B-52. Lockheed Martin stated it has begun a 47,000-square-foot expansion of its facility in Troy, Alabama to support production.

 

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