The Ministry of Defence has told Parliament that the Long-Range Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon remains in its early concept phase, with delivery timelines to be determined subject to the outcome of the Defence Investment Plan.
The written answer, given by Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard on 22 May in response to a question from Ben Obese-Jecty MP for Huntingdon, stated that “the Ministry of Defence continues to mature the requirement and will determine delivery timelines subject to the outcome of the Defence Investment Plan.”
The weapon, known as LRAW, is intended to be fired from the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System being fitted to the Royal Navy’s Type 26 and Type 31 frigates and deliver a lightweight or very lightweight torpedo against submarine contacts at extended range, comfortably outmatching the range of current and forecast heavyweight torpedoes.
The Royal Navy issued a request for information to industry in June 2024 seeking details on suitable components, subsystems, or end-to-end solutions, including concepts that repurpose existing booster designs. A global stockpile requirement of 500 missiles was used as the costing assumption in that RFI. The MoD assumed exportability as part of the procurement model.
The programme’s timeline is now tied to the Defence Investment Plan, which was originally expected in autumn 2025 and has still not been published. Several other Royal Navy capability programmes including the Type 83 destroyer are in a similar position, with business case approvals and delivery timelines on hold pending the plan’s release.
Buy the American missile, it’ll be cheaper. The RAF already operates a mixed American/British LWT pool.
Unless, of course, they can really see a market to export this to Europe.
By ‘American missile’, I mean the new one, not the old VL-ASROC currently in use. The RAN, RN, USN, Bundesmarine and RNoN could all be using the same basic anti-submarine missile.
If mk54 is as bad as is rumoured we would be better off with Stingray. I wonder if the dimensions are similar enough we could do a common booster and glide body for both weapons?
Buy the Japanese one. Faster, longer range, good partner.
500 seems like a huge stockpile. You need, what, 8 per T26? It’s a pretty niche weapon. I imagine we don’t even have that many Stingrays. I know it’s global but that’s a pretty ambitious export goal.
A mistake to be reliant on US warpon systems. Europeans now being told to wait for warpons ordered!
With drones able to easily carry torpedos and those drones already being deployed this doesn’t seem like a major priority. Is it even worth taking up precious VLS space.
I think they are possibly also considering launching from unmanned/ lean manned platforms Jim, if they have mk41 silos ( with a mix of sea ceptor and ASW missiles) and they are sitting several miles away from their T45/26/31 ‘mother ship’, such a missile could be vital in convoy protection etc, a rapid launch from several such platforms on a sub contact would be very effective.