Navy Axes Its Hypersonic Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Plans
The Navy has said for years that the HALO program is essential, but now it is reevaluating its plans based on cost concerns.
Joseph Trevithick
Published Apr 11, 2025 2:02 PM EDT
The U.S. Navy has halted plans to acquire an air-launched, air-breathing hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile, citing cost and industrial base factors.
The U.S. Navy has halted plans to acquire an air-launched, air-breathing hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile, citing cost and industrial base factors. The service says it is now taking a second look at its requirements with a new focus on affordability.
The Navy’s work toward the acquisition of what it had dubbed the Hypersonic Air-Launched Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (HALO) missile traces back to at least 2021. The service previously described it as a critical capability that needed to be fielded before 2030. Naval News was first to report that the plans for HALO, also known as the Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Increment 2 (OASuW Inc 2), have now changed.
“The Navy cancelled the solicitation for the Hypersonic Air-Launched Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (HALO) Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) effort in fall 2024 due to budgetary constraints that prevent fielding new capability within the planned delivery schedule,” Navy Capt. Ron Flanders, a spokesperson for the service, told TWZ today. “The decision was made after the Navy conducted a careful analysis, looking at cost trends and program performance across the munitions industrial base compared to the Navy’s priorities and existing fiscal commitments.”
https://www.twz.com/air/navy-axes-its-hypersonic-anti-ship-cruise-missile-plans
