Leidos touts small cruise missile solution, announces successful test accomplishments

Leidos, an industry leader in national security and health, announced its Small Cruise Missile (SCM) -- nicknamed the "Black Arrow" in recognition of its range and lethality -- has successfully completed captive carry and store safe separation flight tests in preparation for guided flight tests from a U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) aircraft scheduled for this fall.

Store separation testing from an AC-130J, conducted in December 2023, confirmed digital twin predictions of safe separation, benign store dynamics, and trajectory characteristics. Additional captive flight testing demonstrated integration with the NSWC Battle Management System (BMS), operational flight software function, navigation performance, and flight safety system functionality.

Understanding the DOD's critical need for affordable stand-off strike capabilities, Leidos initiated work on the SCM design in 2021. In 2022, a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was signed between the company and U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) PEO-Fixed Wing and AFSOC. Following this agreement, the team began developing SCM, a low-cost, service-common, mission-adaptable "delivery platform" designed to facilitate future spiral upgrades for both kinetic and non-kinetic missions.

"Our experience in rapidly fielding the GBU-69 Small Glide Munition (SGM) and demonstrating the DARPA X-61 Gremlins, as well as our focus on agility and innovation, have led to achieving important milestones with our Small Cruise Missile offering," says Mark Miller, Senior Vice President for Missile and Aviation Solutions at Leidos. "We have navigated hurdles and made significant investments to integrate on, and test off, the AC-130J, preparing us to proceed with further activities once the CRADA is complete."

Leidos is leveraging model-based systems engineering, additive manufacturing, and AI optimization practices to support the timely and cost-effective development of the SCM, which aims to provide adaptability and utility for the warfighter. One example is a modular airframe and open system architecture that accommodates distributed manufacturing for individual subsystems, which can then be rapidly assembled and tested separately before final assembly. This approach has been utilized by the company's SGM program, which has delivered over 4,000 units to date.

"Affordable mass at long range is a recognized concept in the strike systems community," says Miller. "Our open architecture SCM solution is intended to integrate the best subsystem solutions, regardless of the source. We believe that recognizing that subsystems and payloads will evolve with different use cases is critical, and that innovation will come from outside typical prime contractors and venture capital companies entering the market with vertically integrated solutions."