Engineering:Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive Anti-Surface
| Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive Anti-Surface (HALO) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Hypersonic air-launched anti-ship missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | Cancelled |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Raytheon Missiles & Defense Lockheed Martin |
| Specifications | |
Launch platform | F/A-18E/F Super Hornet |
The Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive Anti-Surface (HALO) was a hypersonic air-launched anti-ship missile being developed for the United States Navy.[1] It was designed to provide greater anti-surface warfare capability than the AGM-158C LRASM and was expected to be compatible with F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.[2] The initial operational capability was expected in 2028.[3][2] The program was also called the Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Increment 2 (OASuW Inc 2) program.[3]
On 28 March 2023, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awarded a $116 million contract to Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Lockheed Martin for technical maturation and development through a preliminary design review of the propulsion system. The contract was slated to begin in December 2024, with each company's initial design review working towards a prototype flight test.[4]
However, at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space conference's April 2023, Rear Admiral Stephen Tedford, Program Executive Officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons at NAVAIR, said that HALO might be "a little bit of a misnomer" because it might not reach hypersonic speeds.[5] Tedford said that HALO may reach only supersonic speeds, (high Mach 4-plus) rather than hypersonic speeds (over Mach 5).[5]
On April 10, 2025, the United States Navy cancelled the program in favor of pursuing the current Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Increment 1 (OASuW Inc 1), which utilizes the LRASM.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ Katz, Justin (27 April 2022). "Navy's next-gen, ship-killing missile will be a hypersonic weapon dubbed HALO". New York City: Breaking Media. https://breakingdefense.com/2022/04/navys-next-gen-ship-killing-missile-will-be-a-hypersonic-weapon-dubbed-halo/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "U.S. Hypersonic Weapons and Alternatives". January 2023. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58924.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 R45811: Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress, Congressional Research Service (updated February 13, 2023).
- ↑ "Navy moves forward with hypersonic, carrier-based weapon". 27 March 2023. https://www.navair.navy.mil/news/Navy-moves-forward-hypersonic-carrier-based-weapon/Mon-03272023-1415.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harper, Jon (3 April 2023). "Navy's future HALO 'hypersonic' missile might not actually be hypersonic". Defensescoop (Scoop News Group). https://defensescoop.com/2023/04/03/navys-future-halo-hypersonic-missile-might-not-actually-be-hypersonic/.
- ↑ Johnston, Carter (2025-04-10). "U.S. Navy Cancels Critical HALO Hypersonic Missile Citing Cost Concerns" (in en-US). https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/sea-air-space-2025/2025/04/u-s-navy-cancels-critical-halo-hypersonic-missile-citing-cost-concerns/.
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