The U.S. Navy has officially cancelled its Hypersonic Air-Launched Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (HALO) missile program.
Capt. Ron Flanders, a Navy spokesperson said the program, also known as Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Increment 2 (OASuW Inc 2), was cancelled in late 2024 due to budgetary constraints.
“The Navy cancelled the solicitation for the Hypersonic Air-Launched Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) effort in fall 2024 due to budgetary constraints that prevent fielding new capability within the planned delivery schedule,” said Flanders.
HALO was first proposed in 2021 as a long-range, hypersonic missile designed to target enemy warships from standoff distances. The missile was planned for use on F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, with potential adaptation to ships and submarines later on.
Initial development contracts were awarded in 2023 to Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Both companies were believed to be working on designs using advanced propulsion systems like ramjets or scramjets.
HALO’s cancellation follows the U.S. Air Force’s decision to end the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) program, another hypersonic project that faced technical and cost challenges.
Instead of HALO, Flanders said the Navy will continue investing in proven systems like the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), a stealthy subsonic missile derived from the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM).
“The Navy is committed to its investment in Long Range Fires to meet National Defense objectives, with priority emphasis on fielding continued capability improvements to the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM),” Flanders said.
