Lockheed Martin and CoAspire unveiled the new Mako Multi-Mission Hypersonic Missile at Sea Air Space 2024 this week.
“For the US Navy, this is a multi-mission, highly capable system, highly survivable, affordable, so you’re going to hold many targets at risk with one weapons system that’s ready now,” Rick Loy, Senior Program Manager at the company’s Missile and Fire Control division told Naval News.
Mako, the name derived from the fastest shark in the sea, is being pitched to the U.S. Navy by Lockheed Martin for its speed, affordability, and targeting versatility to hold many targets at risk.
According to Lockheed Martin officials, this is the first time the hypersonic has been publicly displayed since the beginning of its development over seven years ago. A graphic played by the company at the CoAspire booth shows what seems to be a U.S. Air Force F-35A launching six of the hypersonic missiles in quick succession from both external and internal mounts.
Despite Mako’s design, Loy stated that this system was not aimed at the U.S. Navy’s Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive (HALO) Anti-Surface program, which aims to bring a high-end anti-ship capability to the service’s Super Hornets.
Instead, the Mako was originally Lockheed Martin’s offer for the U.S. Air Force’s Stand In Attack Weapon (SiAW) program, which aimed to provide aircraft the ability to strike against adversary assets that make up an anti-access/area denial network. Targets listed in budgetary documents include missile and air-defense systems, the latter of which Loy specified in his explanation of Mako’s multi-mission targeting.
While Lockheed Martin received several contracts over the years from the SiAW programs, such as a $18 million contract last February, Northrop Grumman ultimately won the program in a $705 million contract last year. It should be noted that Northrop Grumman’s submission is reportedly based on their work with the Navy’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER) program. Given this baseline, SiAW is expected to reach out to at least 300-350 kilometers.
Despite being unveiled, many aspects of Mako could not be disclosed by Loy to Naval News. Its guidance could not be specified outside of “multiple guidance methods” and “electronic packages.” What was disclosed was that the system would be at least Mach 5 and that the concept missile being shown off at SAS 2024 was the same one used for fit checks on aircraft. Loy confirmed that Mako has been fit-checked, first electronically and then with the model on various fighter jets and maritime patrol aircraft. According to Loy, the Mako is “compatible with any aircraft that has 30-inch lugs,” using the widely used BRU-32 heavy-duty ejector rack as an example.
The Mako shown off at SAS was put onto F-35, F-22, F-16, F-15, F-18, and a Navy P-8. Loy also confirmed that the system could be placed internally into an F-35, with one per bay. Likewise, as seen through their pitch to the US Navy at SAS 2024, Mako can be deployed from aircraft launched from carriers. Loy further stated that “there is nothing precluding the launch of this weapon from surface, ground, or even sub-surface like other weapons,” hinting at the possibility for Mako’s future launch platforms beyond aircraft.
“The world is interested in hypersonic capability and we are interested in providing it to them,” Loy said in regards to the possibility of other customers outside the U.S.
It should be noted that while the specifics on why Lockheed Martin partnered with CoAspire on Mako, the latter’s website states that CoAspire “has a hypersonic missile solution accepted by the US Navy and placed in an Other Transaction Opportunity (OTA) basket – a contract vehicle, for future consideration by the service for funding.” CoAspire’s website stated that this “solution also leverages previous work by a major defense company.”
When asked about where Mako will go, Loy highlighted that their showing at SAS 2024 aims to garner interest and continue its development. However, Mako is “ready to fly, ready now, and is ready to go in scale and into production quickly.”
