Lockheed Martin has been tasked to ready its long-range anti-ship missiles in three years for use onboard Navy and Air Force bombers under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency accelerated acquisition program, Military & Aerospace Electronics reported Monday.
John Keller writes the agency has obligated $33 million of the potential $200 million contract for Lockheed to ready the program in time for acquisition in 2017.
The stealth missiles are built with onboard target acquisition and advanced evasion countermeasures systems, according to the report..
Under DARPA specifications, the experimental munitions are being designed to be launched from the F/A 18E/F Super Hornet jet and B-1B Lancer supersonic bomber, with an order for a submarine-launched version under review.
Work will also occur in Melbourne, Florida; Troy, Alabama; Nashua, New Hampshire; Boulder, Colorado; and Cincinnati, with a targeted completion date of July 2016.
