The U.S. Air Force recently awarded Lockheed Martin a $694 million contract for the production of the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW).
The ARRW is a hypersonic weapon that will travel at more than five times the speed of sound to rapidly engage targets from significant standoff ranges. It is designed to operate in extreme environments, overcome a wide range of defenses, and maintain accuracy and lethality. It also can be integrated on the B-52.
“The ARRW production contract award showcases Lockheed Martin’s ability to develop and begin production on cutting-edge systems at unprecedented speed and scale,” Tim Cahill, Lockheed Martin missiles and fire control president, said. “ARRW expands our weapon systems portfolio and launches a critical, high-precision, and sustained hypersonic capability that will enhance the U.S. Air Force’s strategic advantage across multiple domains.”
The company has funded the efforts, materials, and equipment required to start ARRW production and broke ground on Tuesday on an expansion of its Troy, Ala., facility. The project will add 47,000 square feet of production space for ARRW and will include manufacturing, robotics and digital technologies.
Lockheed Martin plans to invest $67 million for ARRW production facility expansion and equipment and also will continue research and development.