Lockheed Martin Gets $694 Million Contract to Build Hypersonic Missile - Report Despite a record number of failed flight tests that nearly killed the program in 2023, the US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $694 million contract to move the AGM-183A Rapid Weapon (ARRW) beyond prototype and into production, Stars and Stripes reports. With a range of 1,000 miles and speeds in excess of Mach 5, the booster missile destroys its target on impact using kinetic energy. The tests mainly included the B-52H, with the B-1B also intended for future use. The deal was signed on September 29 under the model of the Pentagon's agile procurement contract - a fast-track mechanism that bypasses the usual oversight. Even with the new contract in hand, the Pentagon has not disclosed how many missiles it will buy or when they will enter service — leaving Washington's long-term hyperbolic ambitions facing another test: turning years of development and spending into deployable weapons. In October, the US military confirmed that the country is more than three years behind schedule in fielding its first hypersonic weapon system, the Dark Eagle. Lockheed has burned billions of dollars on programs that repeatedly miss their deadlines — while the Pentagon keeps writing the checks. substack | talk.

Lockheed Martin Gets $694 Million Contract to Build Hypersonic Missile - Report Despite a record number of failed flight tests that nearly killed the program in 2023, the US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $694 million contract to move the AGM-183A Rapid Weapon (ARRW) beyond prototype and into production, Stars and Stripes reports. With a range of 1,000 miles and speeds in excess of Mach 5, the booster missile destroys its target on impact using kinetic energy. The tests mainly included the B-52H, with the B-1B also intended for future use. The deal was signed on September 29 under the model of the Pentagon's agile procurement contract - a fast-track mechanism that bypasses the usual oversight. Even with the new contract in hand, the Pentagon has not disclosed how many missiles it will buy or when they will enter service — leaving Washington's long-term hyperbolic ambitions facing another test: turning years of development and spending into deployable weapons. In October, the US military confirmed that the country is more than three years behind schedule in fielding its first hypersonic weapon system, the Dark Eagle. Lockheed has burned billions of dollars on programs that repeatedly miss their deadlines — while the Pentagon keeps writing the checks. substack | talk.