The U.S. Navy is gearing up to begin the modular missile program, a next-generation effort that aims to bring a new series of missiles to the service amid hypersonic threats and the need for increased magazine capacity across the fleet.
A notice for an upcoming industry day stated that the Navy Modular Missile program will include multiple variants, specifying a dedicated long-range hypersonic missile and configurations covering existing short, medium and extended-range weapons. Enhanced capacity for dual or quad-packing the munitions into vertical launching systems was identified as a key attribute for the upcoming program, with the description stating that this aspect looked to improve “fleet endurance and combat effectiveness.” Recent combat in the Red Sea and concerns over the fleet’s endurance in a potential conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific have raised concerns regarding the magazine depth of U.S. warships.
Work with the U.S. Air Force to bring a modular open architecture approach to the program’s design was also specified in the notice.
Last week’s notice for an upcoming industry day for the Navy Modular Missile program was the first mention of the program since the speeches of former Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and a 2021 solicitation on rocket boosters. Del Toro mentioned the modular missile initiative alongside his efforts to reload vertical launching systems at sea and strengthen fleet logistics.
“As TRAM [Transferrable Reload At-sea Method] delivers an at-sea missile reload capability for the fleet, we look forward to working with industry to improve our missile supply through efforts like the Naval Modular Missile (NMM) program. That program will use common components across the family of naval missiles—increasing our efficiency and resilience in manufacturing,” Del Toro stated in a 2024 speech.
The Navy Modular Missile comes amid the service’s broader modernization to face modern naval threats, marking an evolution from the fleet’s Cold War-era Standard Missile series. This initiative follows a recent solicitation that announced the search for a next-generation Sea Sparrow missile last month.
While there are few details on the program, a 2024 talk hosted by the Missile Defense Project at the Center of Strategic and International Studies on “Operations in the Red Sea: Lessons for Surface Warfare” mentioned the Navy Modular Missile. Rear Adm. Fred Pyle stated that the missile would have a “common front end that is very capable” and a variety of rocket boosters dependent on range requirements.
“So the theory is that you have a common front end that is very capable, and then you vary the back end, the rocket on that weapon, to the range you need. So it could be a small rocket for close in, it could be a medium sized rocket for medium range, and then you get a larger rocket for long range,” said Pyle.
The Rear Admiral further highlighted the potential for dual and quad-packing the modular missiles, as well as the efficiency and cost-effectiveness that the service saw in the approach.
