Lockheed tests low-cost cruise missiles that turn cargo planes, choppers into bombers
The two models, CMMT-D and CMMT-X, are designed to give the US military affordable options for long-range strikes and other missions.
The CMMT-D is an unpowered glide vehicle, while the CMMT-X is a powered, experimental version. Both were tested in recent weeks using different launch methods.
New low-cost cruise missile
The CMMT-D, short for 'Demonstrator,' was dropped vertically from a pallet to simulate a cargo aircraft launch, similar to the Air Force's 'Rapid Dragon' system.
It then deployed its wings and glided unpowered to the ground. The CMMT-X, with a motor labeled as 'experimental,' was launched from under a small Piper Navajo aircraft, separated cleanly, and flew under its power after ignition.
Lockheed introduced the CMMT-D in March during the AFA Warfare Symposium. The company sees the platform as a cheaper alternative to its high-end Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), which is stealthy and expensive.
The CMMT-D has a range of about 500 nautical miles and is expected to cost around $150,000, about a tenth of the cost of a JASSM. However, it's not built to be as stealthy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvxn2Gr1uQE&t=32s
Both versions are intended to support growing military interest in large numbers of affordable weapons for high-volume combat scenarios.
Lockheed is developing vehicle launch options on pylons, pallets, and vertical platforms. They are also designed to be produced quickly and at scale, using digital design and manufacturing tools.
First test
The CMMT-D was the first compact cruise missile to be deployed from a Rapid Dragon pallet cell, the same type used by the Air Force to drop cruise missiles from the back of cargo planes like the C-17 and C-130.
In a May test over Oregon, the pallet was lifted by helicopter to 14,500 feet to simulate a drop from an aircraft. The missile glided to the ground after being released.
Lockheed said the CMMT-D test marked 'the first deployment of a compact air vehicle in a tactically representative airborne environment.'
The company also said it achieved this milestone just 10 months after beginning the project.
In June, the CMMT-X completed its first powered flight after being launched under a civilian turboprop.
It deployed its wings mid-air and its engine engaged, marking the next phase of Lockheed's vision for affordable expendable systems.
The CMMT-X is a successor to the company's 2020 'SPEED RACER' prototype and has a range of about 350 nautical miles.
Lockheed highlighted that digital design tools helped cut the time from concept to flight by half. Those same tools may allow rapid scaling into full production if the military gives the green light.
While the Air Force has not finalized the next phase of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, Lockheed said the CMMT's proven design and modular architecture could be adapted quickly for future low-cost CCA missions.
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