Navy Seeking Funding for HALO Air-Launched Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile

The Navy is seeking funding for its latest air-launched anti-ship missile as part of its Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Weapon Increment II program. The envisioned weapon, a hypersonic missile called HALO, is seen by decision-makers as crucial for the maturation of super-fast weaponry to match those being developed by U.S. adversaries, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

The Navy’s leadership defended the need for HALO in its recently published budget justification documents or J-books. The service said the resulting weapon will be much faster, have a longer range and will provide the fleet with superior anti-ship capabilities. HALO will address advanced threats from engagement distances that allow the Navy to operate in and control contested battlespace in littoral waters and anti-access/area denial environments.

More specifically, the Navy is asking Congress to greenlight $92 million in research and development funding for HALO in the fiscal year 2023, with the goal of fielding the technology in 2028. The service sought but did not receive approximately $56 million for similar research in its FY22 budget request.

The Navy said that the HALO weapon is one of two non-nuclear hypersonic missile programs it is currently undertaking. The other weapon system, called Conventional Prompt Strike, consists of a glide body missile that can attain speeds in excess of Mach 5 and hit targets thousands of miles away, according to specifications released by the service.