The US Air Force has selected Northrop Grumman to deliver the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW), the company announced on 25 September 2023.
Under a contract worth around USD 705 M (EUR 667.5 M) Northrop Grumman will over the next three years further develop the weapon, conduct platform integration and complete the flight test program for rapid prototyping in preparation for rapid fielding. Work will be performed at the company’s facility at Northridge in California and at its ‘factory of the future’ for missile integration at Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in West Virginia.
The SiAW is an air-to-ground weapon that will provide strike capability to defeat rapidly relocatable targets as part of an enemy’s anti-access/area denial environment. To adapt to ever-changing threats, the missile design features open-architecture interfaces that will allow for rapid subsystem upgrades to field enhanced capabilities to the warfighter, Northrop Grumman noted.
The Phase 2 development of the weapon is a continuation of the USAF’s requirement for this first-of-its-kind Middle Tier Acquisition large weapon programme focused on digital engineering, Weapon Open System Architecture and agility.
The Phase 2 development of SiAW consists of two primary increments: Phase 2.1 concludes with a guided vehicle flight test, while Phase 2.2 concludes with three additional flight tests and the delivery of SiAW leave-behind prototype missiles and test assets.
“Northrop Grumman’s SiAW delivers on the air force’s desire for its first digital weapons acquisition and development programme,” Susan Bruce, the company’s vice president for advanced weapons, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “With our expert digital engineering capabilities, this next-generation missile represents an adaptable, affordable way for the Department of Defense to buy and modernise weapons.”
Peter Felstead