The next generation glide body is set for demonstrations next year. Image: Courtesy Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is unveiling a new hypersonic missile body designed for affordable and rapid production.
Why it matters: The next generation glide body (NXGB) "represents the future of defense through deterrence," per an announcement from Lockheed with a Huntsville dateline.
Zoom in: It's "designed to provide warfighters with an affordable, rapidly producible and operationally relevant long-range strike option," Lockheed says.
Lockheed has made significant investments in manufacturing infrastructure and advanced production capabilities, per the announcement, which with supply chain partnerships put the company in position to rapidly scale production.
It's a response to the growing need for scaled production of long-range strike options. NXGB can be launched from multiple platforms and domains, offering operational flexibility and reducing risk to U.S. forces, the company says.
What they're saying: "NXGB reflects a paradigm shift focusing on design for manufacturing at scale while implementing decades of lessons learned designing, producing and delivering mission-critical systems for the warfighter," said Jonathan Caldwell, vice president and general manager of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems, in the release.
What's next: The NXGB completed a Preliminary Design Review, confirming that it meets stringent performance, producibility and affordability criteria, per Lockheed.
The NXGB is slated for a 2027 flight demonstration.
