The Navy Is Building a Hypersonic Ship-Killing Missile Called HALO
Story by Sébastien Roblin • Yesterday 8:11 AM
On Monday, defense giants Lockheed-Martin and Raytheon were both awarded contracts totaling $116 million between them by the U.S. Navy to separately develop prototype ship-sinking hypersonic missiles designed to sink ships hundreds of miles away for a program known as HALO (Hypersonic Air-launched Offensive). The competing initial design proposals are due in late 2024.
This likely-to-be scramjet-powered weapon, also known as Objective Anti-Surface Warfare Increment 2 (OASuW) in Navy budget documents, would be carried by the service’s carrier-based FA-18E/F Super Hornet and F-35 Lightning jet fighters and perhaps future successors. It’s expected to fly farther and much faster than the current LRASM stealth cruise missile.
The focus on anti-ship capabilities reflects the focus on a potential conflict with China in the western Pacific Ocean. Notably, simulations of a battle over Taiwan suggest it would be decided in large part by the effectiveness of long-range anti-ship missiles.
The Navy’s Need for Speedy Missiles
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-navy-is-building-a-hypersonic-ship-killing-missile-called-halo/ar-AA19gDFZ?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=eab9ebe2c8b94d31a83b625224fa6b8d&ei=39
