The key facts

  • US Air Force contract with Lockheed Martin for $694 million signed on September 29, 2026
  • The ARRW program is moving from prototype and testing to production and deliveries to the troops
  • The B-52H may become the missile's primary carrier; AGM-183A range is about 1,600 km

Serial production contract

The US Air Force has signed a $694 million contract with Lockheed Martin for the production of AGM-183A (ARRW) air-launched hypersonic missiles. The agreement was reported by Stars and Stripes, citing a statement from the US Air Force. The contract was signed on September 29, 2026, and its purpose is to move the program from the prototyping and testing stage to production and deliveries to the troops. The exact number of missiles and delivery timelines have not been disclosed.

Carriers and missile characteristics

According to the publication, the B-52H Stratofortress bomber may become the primary carrier of the AGM-183A; the B-1B Lancer will also be tested for this purpose. The missile's range is approximately 1,600 km. Defence One notes that the ARRW program began in 2018 with a $480 million contract with the same Lockheed Martin. The AGM-183A is a boost-glide hypersonic munition: it is launched from a bomber, a booster raises it to high altitude, and then it descends toward its target at speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound, adjusting its course in flight.

Context

The new agreement marks the ARRW program's transition from years of development and testing to actual deliveries — a confirmed change in the status of the project that began in 2018. Earlier, on October 16, it was reported that the US would spend $1.7 billion on modernizing bombers, which are, in particular, being considered as carriers of such weapons.