US develops cruise missile to attack in formation

The new US cruise missile line will be capable of coordinated attacks in formation and integrated onto many fighter aircraft models.

Sketch of the Gray Wolf missile design model. Photo: Lockheed Martin.

Defense corporation Lockheed Martin recently received a $110 million contract from the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop a line of low-cost cruise missiles that can coordinate attacks in large numbers in formation, UPI reported on December 27.

AFRL's new "Gray Wolf" missile is expected to be integrated into the F-16 fighter jet line first, then equipped on other US Air Force fighters and bombers.

The program consists of four development phases spanning five years. The first phase is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

"The new missile developed by Lockheed Martin is a low-cost missile that can operate effectively in harsh environments,"Hady Mourad,Lockheed Martin's Advanced Missile Program Manager, said.

According to Mr. Hady, the Gray Wolf missile will be designed to maximize the ability to replace parts, allowing customers to integrate advanced technologies such as installing additional high-damage warheads or more efficient fuel engines.

This is not the first time the US military has planned to develop weapons that use mass attack tactics. The Washington Post reported in March 2016 that the US Department of Defense is researching and developing a special type of weapon, including ultra-small UAVs, less than 3 cm in diameter, operating in formations of hundreds, even thousands of them connected together to form a tight square block to attack the enemy.

Experts say this new weapon will be used by the US Department of Defense for many purposes such as deception, harassing air defense radar systems, reconnaissance, and even tactical attacks on enemy ground targets.

According to VNE