The Navy, which is studying options for a Next Generation Land Attack Weapon (NGLAW), plans to complete the review by March 2018, according to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).
The study, or analysis of alternatives (AoA), began in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017 and could lead to a replacement for the Raytheon [RTN] Tomahawk cruise missile.
“Results of that AoA will be assessed by Navy leadership and help inform decisions going forward,” NAVAIR spokeswoman Jamie Cosgrove said April 19.
In an October request for information, NAVAIR told industry that the “NGLAW effort will examine potential materiel solutions to be employed from surface ships and submarines against targets” in well-defended areas. The document indicates that the new weapon could be available in about 2030.
In December, NAVAIR held an industry day on NGLAW. According to an attendance list, the event attracted more than 80 people from industry, government and academia, including representatives of Aeroject Rocketdyne [ARJD], BAE Systems, Ball Aerospace [BLL], Boeing [BA], General Dynamics [GD], Kratos [KTOS] company Composite Engineering Inc., L3 Technologies’ [LLL] Fuzing & Ordnance Systems unit, Leidos [LDOS], Lockheed Martin [LMT], Northrop Grumman [NOC], Orbital ATK [OA] and Raytheon.
The Navy has fielded the long-range, precision-strike Tomahawk for decades. More than 2,000 have been fired in combat, including 59 missiles that two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the USS Porter (DDG-78) and the USS Ross (DDG-71), launched at a Syrian air base earlier this month.
The latest variant, the Tomahawk Block IV, incorporates satellite communications to allow the missile to be retargeted in flight. In December 2015, Raytheon flew a new seeker on a test aircraft to show the missile could destroy moving targets on land and at sea.