Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $694 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for production of the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW).
The hypersonic strike capability will be integrated on the B-52.
Coinciding with the new contract, Lockheed Martin broke ground on an expansion of Building P-20 in Troy, Alabama, that will add 47,000 square feet of production space for ARRW. The expansion will triple the current facility's production space and generate new jobs over the next four years, adding to the almost 4,000 Lockheed Martin employees in the state of Alabama. The facility will prepare the workforce to build ARRW using advanced manufacturing, robotics and digital technologies.
The company said ARRW will travel at speeds greater than Mach 5, more than five times the speed of sound. It's designed to operate in extreme environments through the use of advanced materials to manage extreme heat, an advanced technology package to maintain accuracy and lethality and capability to overcome a wide range of defenses.
Lockheed Martin said it has already funded efforts, materials, and equipment required to start ARRW's production.
"The ARRW production contract award showcases Lockheed Martin's ability to develop and begin production on cutting-edge systems at unprecedented speed and scale," said Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, in a statement. "ARRW expands our weapon systems portfolio and launches a critical, high-precision, and sustained hypersonic capability that will enhance the U.S. Air Force's strategic advantage across multiple domains."
