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AGM-190A Havoc Spear missile in testing.
TAMPA, Florida—The U.S. Air Force and Special Operations Command have named the Leidos AGM-190A low-cost cruise missile the “Havoc Spear,” as they look to quickly field the new missile.
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) in a May 19 announcement said service Secretary Troy Meink chose the name to represent the havoc of a widespread mass attack, with the precision targeting of a spear.
Leidos and the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) began development of the missile through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, which then accelerated through an express development program, says Col. Justin Bronder, SOCOM’s program executive officer for fixed wing programs.
“That program has really been moving around quite quickly and we’re looking at ways to accelerate fielding of that weapon in the not-too-distant future with close teaming with our AFSOC partners to really collapse that development and operational test timeline,” Bronder says.
The AGM-190A is part of a broader Pentagon effort to quickly field cheaper cruise missiles. The Defense Department announced May 15 that Leidos along with Anduril, CoAspire and Zone 5 Technologies will provide at least 10,000 missiles within three years as part of the Low-Cost Containerized Missiles program.
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