The U.S. Air Force is seeking more than $296 million for the development of AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon.
The United States has revived one of its most interesting hypersonic weapon programs. The Air Force will resume work on the development of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) program, which was paused in 2023. Reports have also revealed that a new variant of ARRW is also on the horizon.
ARRW is designed to enable the U.S. to hold fixed, high-value, time-sensitive targets at risk in contested environments from stand-off distances. It will also expand precision-strike capabilities by enabling rapid response strikes against heavily defended land targets.
Conventional hypersonic weapons capability for bombers
The ARRW program is aimed at delivering a conventional hypersonic weapons capability to bombers. The weapon system is designed to provide combatant commanders the capability to destroy high-value, time-sensitive targets.
ARRW will also expand precision-strike weapon systems’ capabilities by enabling rapid response strikes against heavily defended land targets.
The new variant, the “Increment 2” ARRW, is set to feature an all-new seeker, which would give it a moving target engagement capability. A version of the AGM-183 able to strike enemy ships at sea could be especially relevant in a future high-end fight against China in the Pacific, reported The War Zone.
In May 2022, the U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress successfully released an AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, off the Southern California coast.
Following separation from the aircraft, the ARRW’s booster ignited and burned for the expected duration, achieving hypersonic speeds five times greater than the speed of sound.
US Air Force is seeking more than $296 million for ARRW
Now, the U.S. Air Force is seeking more than $296 million for the development of AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon.
It’s also claimed that the Department of the Air Force’s Fiscal Year 2027 President’s Budget request marks a fundamental strategic shift. This budget departs from previous practices and makes a conscious effort to prioritize investment in modernization and readiness, recognizing both as essential and non-negotiable.
With a total request of $338.8 billion, this 38% increase over the FY26 enacted position is a generational investment designed to supercharge our Defense Industrial Base, sharpen our military readiness, and secure enduring air and space superiority, according to the U.S. Air Force.
The ARRW is a conventional, air-launched, boost-glide, hypersonic weapon consisting of a solid rocket motor booster, a glider protective shroud, and a glider vehicle containing a kinetic energy projectile warhead.
A report from the Pentagon’s Office of the Director of Test and Evaluation stated that the Air Force will employ units equipped with ARRW to provide an offensive, high-speed strike capability to destroy high-value, time-sensitive, land-based targets in anti-access/area-denial environments. Launched from bomber aircraft, ARRW provides standoff capability to prosecute targets in a timely fashion.
ARRW used the rapid prototyping middle tier of the acquisition pathway, leveraging technology and lessons learned from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s Tactical Boost Glide program. The Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) placed the ARRW program under oversight for operational and live fire testing.
ARRW, in its current guise, is also understood to only be capable of engaging static targets. Adding a terminal seeker would open up the ability to hit targets on the move, including ones at sea. The budget documents do not provide any further details about what kind of seeker the Air Force is looking to add to the Increment 2 variant. Imaging infrared sensors, radars, or passive signal homing seekers – or some combination thereof – could be potential operations, reported The War Zone.
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Prabhat, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, is a tech and defense journalist. While he enjoys writing on modern weapons and emerging tech, he has also reported on global politics and business. He has been previously associated with well-known media houses, including the International Business Times (Singapore Edition) and ANI.