This week, the American company Lockheed Martin unveiled its new Mako hypersonic missile, the first capable of being deployed from the internal bays of the U.S. Armed Forces’ fifth-generation F-22 and F-35 fighter jets. This system has been in development for seven years and, according to the manufacturer, can be used for a wide range of missions, including targets at sea, in the air, and on land.
The new Mako missile, named after a species of shark, weighs close to 1,300 pounds with a diameter of 13 inches and an approximate length of 4 meters. It is capable of operating at high altitudes and can attack targets at hypersonic speeds (up to Mach 5) or lower, as required. While the official company statement does not specify its range, it is also claimed that the missile has significant range capabilities.
According to Army Recognition, in terms of aircraft capable of using these types of missiles, besides the aforementioned fifth-generation fighters, the list of tested platforms also includes the F/A-18 Super Hornet, EA-18G, F-15E, F-16C, and P-8A, which can carry the missile externally. Meanwhile, the B-1B, B-52H, and B-21 bombers have also conducted tests with the Mako, although they carried it internally. It is worth noting that many of these tests were conducted virtually, thanks to the open and digital architecture design proposed by Lockheed Martin for the missile.
Regarding the program’s origin, it is important to note that this new missile comes from the U.S. Air Force’s Stand-In Attack Weapon (SiAW) program, which initially received a $35 million contract to begin development. The main goal of the program was to provide the USAF with a missile capable of surpassing Chinese area denial (A2/AD) defenses, while also being deployable from the internal bays of the F-22 and F-35 aircraft, thus maintaining their stealth qualities.
Finally, to avoid cost and design issues, Lockheed Martin has opted to use components already in use for the Mako’s construction, specifying that all these components are already qualified at a “technology readiness level 6 or higher” by the U.S. Armed Forces. Additionally, they have highlighted a production line that employs an “additive manufacturing” model in place of conventional “subtractive methods,” which allows for significant cost reductions and a tenfold increase in delivery rate.
Image credits: Lockheed Martin
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