| Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive Anti-Surface (HALO) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Hypersonic air-launched anti-ship missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | Cancelled |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Raytheon Missiles & Defense Lockheed Martin |
| Specifications | |
Launch platform | F/A-18E/F Super Hornet |
The Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive Anti-Surface (HALO) was a hypersonic air-launched anti-ship missile being developed for the United States Navy. [1] It was designed to provide greater anti-surface warfare capability than the AGM-158C LRASM and was expected to be compatible with F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. [2] The initial operational capability was expected in 2028. [3] [2] The program was also called the Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Increment 2 (OASuW Inc 2) program. [3]
On 28 March 2023, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awarded a $116 million contract to Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Lockheed Martin for technical maturation and development through a preliminary design review of the propulsion system. The contract was slated to begin in December 2024, with each company's initial design review working towards a prototype flight test. [4]
However, at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space conference's April 2023, Rear Admiral Stephen Tedford, Program Executive Officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons at NAVAIR, said that HALO might be "a little bit of a misnomer" because it might not reach hypersonic speeds. [5] Tedford said that HALO may reach only supersonic speeds, (high Mach 4-plus) rather than hypersonic speeds (over Mach 5). [5]
On April 10, 2025, the United States Navy cancelled the program in favor of pursuing the current Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Increment1 (OASuW Inc1), which utilizes the LRASM. [6]