US Navy Aims For A Hypersonic Ship-Killing Edge
Date
1/12/2024 5:13:03 AM
(MENAFN- Asia Times) The US Navy is developing a Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive Anti-Surface (HALO) missile to enhance its long-range anti-ship capabilities and transform its carrier warfare strategies.
This month, Raytheon reported completing a technical review and prototype fit-check for the US Navy's HALO missile prototype. Raytheon describes the HALO as a carrier-based high-speed missile enabling the Navy to operate in and control contested battlespaces in A2/AD environments and support their long-range fire strategy.
The HALO missile is a crucial step in fielding the US Navy's first anti-ship hypersonic missile, leveraging Raytheon's expertise in hypersonics to deliver a straightforward and mature system. The prototype was created using digital and model-based engineering techniques to accelerate development, the Raytheon statement said.
Raytheon says a successful fit check on a F/A-18 was conducted in the fall, ensuring compatibility with the Navy's Super Hornet aircraft and existing support equipment. The defense contractor was awarded a phase one HALO contract in March 2023, with work on the program currently being completed in Tucson, Arizona.
The HALO will likely replace the US Navy's long-serving Harpoon anti-ship missile, which first came into service in 1977. While the Harpoon has been upgraded through several generations, the type may have already maxed out its upgrade potential.
In a March 2021 article for The National Interest , Charlie Gao mentions that the US Navy is set to replace the Harpoon with the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) on its Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). Gao says the surface-launched Harpoon weighs 700 kilograms, compared to 407 kilograms for the NSM.
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