U.S. Air Force Wants Cruise Missile Swarms

The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman contracts for the development of a new low-cost cruise missiles capable of flying in swarms. The new missiles will be designed for compatibility with F-35, F-16, F-15, F-18, B-1, B-2 and B-52 aircraft and will wreak havoc on enemy air defenses. The “Grey Wolf” cruise missiles will have improved fuel-efficient engines and more lethal warheads.

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The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. contracts to develop new, lower-cost cruise missiles capable of flying in swarms to target enemy air defenses.

Lockheed, the world’s largest defense contractor, in a release Wednesday announced it received a five-year $110 million contract from the lab to build the “Gray Wolf.”

The weapon will be designed with “networked, collaborative behaviors (swarming) to address Integrated Air Defense (IAD) system threats around the world,” according to the release.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based company’s “concept for the Gray Wolf missile will be an affordable, counter-IAD missile that will operate efficiently in highly contested environments,” Hady Mourad, director of the Advanced Missiles Program at the company’s Missiles and Fire Control division, said in the release.

“Our system is being designed to maximize modularity, allowing our customer to incorporate advanced technologies such as more lethal warheads or more fuel-efficient engines, when those systems become available,” he added.

The first of four development phases is set to run until late 2019, according to Lockheed. Work is expected to be complete in late 2024, according to a defense contract announcement.

E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.