Lockheed unveils Air-Launched multi-mission Hypersonic Missile

Lockheed Martin unveiled an air-launched hypersonic missile this week being pitched to the US Navy and the US Air Force.

The Mako was Lockheed’s original offer for the US Air Force’s Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) program, which aims to defeat adversary anti-access/area denial environments.

Speaking to Naval News, Lockheed’s Senior Program Manager Rick Loy described the missile as a multi-mission missile capable of striking various targets.

“For the US Navy, this is a multi-mission, highly capable system, highly survivable, affordable, so you’re going to hold many targets at risk with one weapons system that’s ready now,” the outlet quoted Loy as saying.

Potential Roles, Features

According to The War Zone, the solid-fuel rocket-powered missile’s potential roles include anti-surface warfare, land attack, and destruction of enemy air defenses.

It is 13 feet (3.96 meters) and has a diameter of 13 inches (33 centimeters), according to the outlet.

It weighs around 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms), including a 130-pound (59-kilogram) warhead, and has a speed of Mach 5 and features “multiple guidance methods.”

Compatible With Multiple Platforms

The manufacturer tested the fit of the missile model on a range of aircraft, including an F-35, F-22, F-16, F-15, F-18, and a Navy P-8, according to Naval News.

The missile can be placed internally into an F-35 and be deployed from a carrier-borne aircraft.

“There is nothing precluding the launch of this weapon from surface, ground, or even sub-surface like other weapons,” Naval News quoted Loy as saying, hinting that war ships and submarines could be armed with the missile as well.

“The world is interested in hypersonic capability and we are interested in providing it to them.”