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World Defense & Security News - Lockheed Martin
 
 
Lockheed Martin lands Gray Wolf cruise missile demonstration effort contract
 
The US-based defense giant Lockheed Martin has secured an $110 million IDIQ contract for the Gray Wolf sub-sonic missile science and technology demonstration effort, the US Department of Defense stated on December 18, 2017.
     
Lockheed Martin lands Gray Wolf cruise missile demonstration effort contract 640 001Lockheed should rely and experience gained with the AGM-158 JASSM cruise missile to lead the Gray Wolf S&T Demonstration effort
(Credit: US Air Force/Courtesy photo)
     
Awarded to Lockheed's Missiles and Fire Control division, this contract provides for the design, development, manufacture, and testing of prototype-affordable cruise missiles to advance networked collaborative operations technologies for defeat of enemy integrated air defense systems.

"Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas, with an expected completion date of Dec. 17, 2022. (...) Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity," the US DoD announced.

The Gray Wolf S&T Demonstration program is a US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Munitions Directorate spiral development activity that will design, develop, manufacture, assemble, and test multiple low-cost subsonic cruise missile variant prototypes.

Gray Wolf is a prototype of a low-cost subsonic cruise missile that uses networked collaboration to perform counter Integrated Air Defense System (IADS) missions. The operational concept is to employ Gray Wolf in concert with other weapon systems to enhance overall mission effectiveness.

The overarching objective of the Gray Wolf S&T Demonstration is to gather data to answer two key questions. First, can the Gray Wolf missile be produced at very low unit costs and what are the associated design and manufacturing activities required to do so? For example, are there innovative manufacturing concepts that would support low costs when built at low-rate quantities and without long-lead timelines? Secondly, can the Gray Wolf missile be effectively employed in networked collaborative formations, and what are the associated CONOPs and TTPs?