Classified development of new air to air missile revealed in US budget documents

The US military has been working on a new long range air to air missile known as long-range engagement weapon. The program has been under development for the last two years under the classified budget. Design, engineering, and kill chain requirements were supposed to be completed last year, but details won't be released. The program has been listed under an obscure budget line that normally covers small EW programs.

An unclassified image of the LREW was published last year, but it's not clear if that is the same as the classified design or not. The image showed a two stage missile being fired from an F-22 weapons bay.

The existence of a two-year-old project to develop a new air-to-air missile capable of intercepting targets at great distances has emerged in US budget documents.

The Office of the Secretary Defense (OSD) launched a two-year engineering assessment of a new long-range engagement weapon (LREW) designed with the goal of “maintaining air dominance”, according to budget documents released last March.

Analyses of the design, engineering and kill chain requirements were expected to be complete in the last fiscal year, although details are classified. “When successful, LREW will transition to multiple services,” the documents show.

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a reply to: Zaphod58

What are the parameters of this, do you have any inkling?

Seems over due, frankly.

a reply to: seagull

Two stage, so I'd go with 250+ mile range, probably Mach 4-6 range for speed, AESA seeker. That's pure speculation though, I haven't even heard whispers about this one.

Interesting for the 2 stage and the development window. Seems like a good fit for an integrated battle space picture, where a launching aircraft would select the target from the Net and not have to guide this missile at all with it's own radar.

As a former Phoenix missile user, I appreciate the ability to use the long arm of the law, but hope that the requirements also contain a bit about close in use. Never know when you are skosh Winders and could use an LREW shot up the poop shoot.

a reply to: cosmania

It should be able to be used in close. They'll probably be able to develop a variable motor that can be used in close with just one stage, or extreme range with both.

a reply to: Zaphod58

This just might make missile trucks viable. Designate the target with a F-22 or F-35 in fairly close and the truck shoots from long range.

With a range like that they could hang off pylons on the drone trucks.

I'd like to see some of these used on North Korea - good testing ground.

a reply to: Flipper35

Keep in mind that the range is pure speculation on my part. That's going off other VLRAAM designs that are out there.

a reply to: Zaphod58

You'd have to imagine they want a pretty big reach. If it is two stage could it be a shorter ranged missile with a stage added?

Interesting and to be honest I'm not surprised. Given the ranges of many A2A's being designed these days, it stands to reason they would need to counter. This would also allow fighters escorting high value assets like an E-3 etc to be able to defend at extreme ranges. Or at the very least force opposing fighters to fire at their max range giving a bit more time (not alot mind you) for the E-3 to move out of harms way etc. Its amazing how little time you have with these hypersonic weapons

a reply to: Caughtlurking

I wouldn't be surprised if it used an existing body, and improved on it with a new seeker and motor, etc.

originally posted by: JIMC5499
a reply to: Zaphod58

This just might make missile trucks viable. Designate the target with a F-22 or F-35 in fairly close and the truck shoots from long range.

Just put ERAMs or THAAD interceptors on the truck and you are done... no need for this classified project.

But giving fighter jets a longer reach is fine too i guess. Dont see why such a capability shouldnt be kept in the dark though. Hiding the production of a couple of hundred exotic AAMs should be easy enough.

At the very least, they would likely want it to outreach the Alamo. But I see this as more of an aerial standoff weapon than a A/A fighter weapon.

Should they have an ACM mode, I'm guessing they could use some logic to have a more rapid fire of the first stage and perhaps some thrust vectoring, which is quite bad for long range efficiency, but a fully burning motor can keep the energy up longer.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Apparently I've learned from you and others over time. It's bound to happen, right??

That's about what I figured, though 300 miles was my thought on range.

a reply to: Steak

How about, instead, testing 'em over White Sands Missile Range. That way people aren't getting killed.

originally posted by: mightmight
Just put ERAMs or THAAD interceptors on the truck and you are done... no need for this classified project.

Except you can carry almost 6 AMRAAM class weapons (152kg for the -120) for every one THAAD missile (900kg) and at a fraction of the cost.

PCA´s claws.

originally posted by: Sammamishman

Except you can carry almost 6 AMRAAM class weapons (152kg for the -120) for every one THAAD missile (900kg) and at a fraction of the cost.

Except the range


There have been persistent rumors of integrating THAAD or even say the SM-6 or patriot on a air to air role for long range engagements etc. However, neither of them would fit into the internal bays of an F-22 or an F-35. On the other hand on a bomb truck like an F-15E or perhaps a modified B-52 or B-1 (still love the B-1R concept) you could fire from much greater distances.

This is going to be used to shoot down Satellites and Nuclear Armed ICBM's and nothing else. Can get a F35 in the air and to elevation within 10 minutes or less and armed with multiple missiles ready to take out any munitions headed this way or any satellite needing to be destroyed.