The U.S. Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a $756 million contract to enhance America’s ground-based hypersonic weapon system, the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW).
Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will provide additional LRHW battery equipment, systems and software engineering support, and logistics solutions.
The LRHW system is designed to deploy ultrafast and manoeuvrable long-range hypersonic missiles from ground mobile platforms. It includes the Army canister, a battery operations centre, and transporter erector launchers.
“Lockheed Martin is proud to continue our strong partnership with the U.S. government for hypersonic strike capability,” said Steve Layne, vice president of Hypersonic Strike Weapon Systems at Lockheed Martin.
“With this contract, we will support the U.S. Army to sustain the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon System currently in the hands of U.S. soldiers, produce additional batteries for future fielding, and support flight testing.”
Lockheed Martin delivered the first LRHW battery, known as Dark Eagle, to U.S. soldiers in 2021.
