Air Force wants new air-to-air missile with 1,000-nautical-mile range

The Air Force is eyeing a new air-launched standoff weapon that is mass-producible and can travel at least 1,000 nautical miles, according to a recent notice . The program, which would be called Air Force Long Range Weapon, has an initial focus on air-to-air targets but will eventually evolve to also be able to strike air-to-surface targets. The service did not specify which aircraft are projected to carry the weapon, but the notice did state the missiles should be able to strike targets in Defense Planning Scenario 2.1 and 7.1 environments in a responsive manner. The target and threat details associated with those scenarios are kept secret due to national security concerns. The service’s Life Cycle Management Center’s armament directorate will host a classified industry day event Aug. 25-26 to refine the potential weapon’s capabilities and send a demand signal to defense businesses. The discussions will take place at the Eglin Air Force Base, FL guided weapons evaluation facility. More than one firm may be picked to design and build the AFLRW, according to the notice. “AFLRW will seek vendors for each variant’s initial production rounds to meet threshold requirements. Additionally, production rounds must comply with Weapons Open Systems Architecture and Government Reference Architecture requirements,” the Air Force wrote. “To maximize participation, the government is seeking traditional and non-traditional vendors who are interested in providing solutions” to any portion of the program. First, the service would pick a company who can deliver a fully assembled and tested round to include initial subsystems. Then it would seek a firm to act as the “master integrator” to enable the missile with new technologies or mission systems at the pace of innovation. The Air Force did not disclose what kind of cost profile it is anticipating for the AFLRW or a timeline for fielding the weapon. The announcement comes as the service’s fiscal year 2027 budget request indicates plans to purchase about 39,000 munitions by FY-33 . “AFLCMC is seeking the next generation of Air-Launched Long-Range Weapon variants that expand the United States’ ability to hit priority air, land, and sea targets far and fast!” the service wrote in the notice. “The AFLRW is aimed at addressing the next generation of Air-Launched Standoff Weapon variants in line with Department of War priorities.”