Air Force puts first hypersonic missile into production with Lockheed

The US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $694 million contract to produce and field the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, moving its first hypersonic missile from prototyping and flight testing into production.

Why it matters: The award, made on September 29 and announced on October 26, reverses the service's 2023 decision to halt purchases of the boost-glide weapon after unsuccessful tests, and gives US commanders a Mach 5 plus standoff strike option for heavily defended targets.

Data as of Department of the Air Force announcement of October 26, 2026, as reported in full by Military Times on October 27, 2026 and by Air and Space Forces Magazine; the service withheld missile quantities and delivery dates for operational security. Developing item.

The US Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $694 million contract in late September to produce and field the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, according to an announcement on Monday. The contract, placed under the Defense Department’s Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract, formally moves the boost-glide weapon out of prototyping and flight testing and into production, and the service withheld how many missiles it covers and when deliveries begin, citing operational security.

ARRW uses a solid-fuel rocket booster to accelerate past Mach 5 before releasing a maneuvering glide vehicle, and is meant to strike time-sensitive, heavily defended targets from standoff range, initially from B-52 bombers. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink called the move a turning point in the advanced weapons roadmap. The production decision reverses the service’s 2023 move to halt ARRW purchases after unsuccessful tests, when it shifted focus to its other hypersonic programme, the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile.

Air Force puts first hypersonic missile into production with Lockheed

Sources