USA: OpFires und AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon

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Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW)

[...]

LRHW utilizes a Common-Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB)—shared with the Navy’s Intermediate Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) — allowing the glide vehicle to travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5 with greater maneuverability than ballistic missiles. The All-Up Round (AUR) containing the C-HGB is launched from a Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) mounted on a modified M870A4 trailer, enabling mobility and flexibility across the battlespace. The LRHW is designed to strike targets hundreds or even thousands of miles away, giving the Army the ability to engage strategic assets deep behind enemy lines. Its speed and maneuverability make it a highly survivable weapon system capable of penetrating advanced air and missile defense systems.

Mission:

Strategic Strike Capability: The LHRW provides Combatant Commanders the ability to precisely engage high-value, time-sensitive targets, including enemy command and control centers, air defense systems, and other critical infrastructure.

Deterrence: The C-HGB’s speed, range, and maneuverability make it a credible deterrent against potential adversaries.

FY 2026 Program: Supports the continued development and testing phase, with flight tests ongoing. The Army expects to field the weapon to its first unit, the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field
Artillery Regiment, by the end of FY 2026.

Prime Contractor(s):

• LRHW: Lockheed Martin Corporation; Bethesda, MD

• AUR boosters: Northrop Grumman Corporation; Falls Church, VA

• C-HGB: Leidos Dynetics; Huntsville, AL

• M983 truck mobile launcher: Oshkosh Defense, LLC; Oshkosh, WI

• M870A4 trailer mobile launcher: Schutt Industries Inc.; Clintonville, WI

https://comptroller.war.gov/Portals/45/ ... eapons.pdf

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Contracts for Feb. 25, 2026

NAVY

Castelion Corp.,* Torrance, California, is awarded a $49,998,005 firm-fixed-price order (N6833526F1022) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N6833526G0006). This order provides full-scale prototypes, flight testing, and operational fielding to continue to expedite the Blackbeard Hypersonic Weapons development, integration, testing, and early operational capability in support of Small Business Innovation Research Phase III effort, topic AF231-D026, entitled "Low Cost Highly Manufacturable Long Range Strike Weapon Production." Work will be performed in Torrance, California, and is expected to be completed in November 2027. Fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $49,998,005 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract action was competed. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.

https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Cont ... b-25-2026/

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Army and Navy Continue Tests of Hypersonic Missile

The U.S. Army's Portfolio Acquisition Executive Fires, in partnership with the U.S. Navy's Portfolio Acquisition Executive Strategic Systems Programs, conducted a successful launch of a common hypersonic missile from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on March 26, 2026.

https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Relea ... c-missile/

• https://www.facebook.com/USArmyPAEFires ... o5cq2XRudl

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https://www.linkedin.com/posts/leidos_l ... 73824-gQPG



Contracts for April 24, 2026

NAVY

Castelion Corp.,* Torrance, California, is awarded a $104,998,566 modification (P00001) to a firm-fixed-price order (N6833526F1022) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N6833526G0006). This modification exercises an option in support of Small Business Innovation Research Phase III effort, topic AF231-D026, entitled “Low Cost Highly Manufacturable Long Range Strike Weapon Production”, to provide final early operational capability requirements, provide test and integration configurations of the Blackbeard Hypersonic Weapon, and complete live fire test events in the Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility. Work will be performed in Torrance, California and is expected to be completed in January 2028. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $33,983,566; and fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $71,015,000, will be obligated at the time of award, $33,983,566 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract action was competed. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.

* Small business

https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Cont ... l-24-2026/


Department of War
Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Budget Estimates
April 2026

Army
Justification Book Volume 2b of 2
Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Army
RDT&E − Volume II, Budget Activity 4B

The FY 2027 request for Hypersonics includes $82,939 thousand of discretionary and $40,000 thousand of mandatory (reconciliation) for a total of $122,939 thousand.

The mandatory funding resources Hypersonics which is to support the development and test of the Blackbeard - Ground Launch (GL) low-cost hypersonic strike missile.

This effort will assess the potential to achieve a significantly reduced cost for high-speed strike capability complementing existing Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) capabilities.

A. Mission Description and Budget Item Justification

The work in this Program Element (PE) supports development, system flight tests, software validation, and full integration into the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) platform, significantly expanding HIMARS lethality.

PE 0604182A/Project HX3, All Up Round and Canister (AUR+C), completed its funding cycle in FY 2026 with the full integration of the AUR+C into the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) platform. Efforts are now focused under Budget Project DP1: HIMARS Extended Range Demo (HERD) which will drive the program through Engineering, Development, Testing, and Fielding. The HERD project supports the Army's Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) modernization priority by demonstrating the feasibility and performance of integrating a qualified, extended-range Blackbeard - Ground Launch (GL) advanced strike missile into the HIMARS launcher system. This demonstration will assess the potential to achieve a significantly reduced cost for high-speed strike capability complementing existing Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) capabilities.

https://www.asafm.army.mil/Portals/72/D ... y%204B.pdf

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U.S. Navy Awards Castelion First Delivery Order for Blackbeard Hypersonic Weapon

TORRANCE, Calif. — June 16, 2026 — Castelion has been awarded a $23.4M firm-fixed-price order from the U.S. Navy for the production and delivery of 50 Blackbeard early operational capability pre-production prototypes and 50 associated storage and shipping containers.

The award marks an important step in Blackbeard’s transition from development and flight testing toward operationally relevant production. The order supports continued maturation of Castelion’s low-cost, highly manufacturable long-range hypersonic strike weapons and will exercise the company’s expanding production capacity at its Project Ranger manufacturing campus in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

Work under the award will be performed primarily in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, with supporting work in Torrance, California, and is expected to be completed in 2027.

“Blackbeard was designed from the beginning to support our nation’s conventional deterrence,” said Bryon Hargis, Co-Founder and CEO of Castelion. “This award reflects the Navy’s continued commitment to and leadership in rapidly advancing affordable, manufacturable long-range strike capability and moving Blackbeard toward early operational use.”

This award builds on a series of Army and Navy platform integration contracts and follows Castelion’s $250+ million investment in Project Ranger, a 1,000-acre manufacturing campus in New Mexico built for hypersonic production at scale.

https://www.castelion.com/news/u-s-navy ... ic-weapon/

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castelio ... 25600-J2Zt

Our 1,000-acre hypersonic manufacturing facility in New Mexico will produce munitions at the volume America needs.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castelio ... 36288-nu3M



https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castelio ... 11233-LJYg


https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castelio ... 71521--8xU


https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castelio ... 43392-nWJI


https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castelio ... 91808-VR1z



https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castelio ... 29376-xebz



https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castelio ... 81697-EN-f


https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castelio ... 73057-W4-1



https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castelio ... 23267-vCIt



https://www.linkedin.com/posts/castelio ... 98944-g7YY

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Lockheed Martin Accelerating Development of Affordable, Scalable Hypersonic Glide Body

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., June 24, 2026 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) has announced a new hypersonic glide body that represents the future of defense through deterrence. Designed to provide warfighters with an affordable, rapidly producible and operationally relevant long-range strike option, the next generation glide body (NXGB) combines advanced performance, survivability and scalability to meet evolving national security needs.

Next Steps

The program successfully completed Preliminary Design Review, an achievement that confirms the design meets stringent criteria for performance, producibility and affordability. NXGB is slated for a 2027 flight demonstration to validate performance.

https://news.lockheedmartin.com/Lockhee ... Glide-Body