U.S. Navy Announces Competition for New Anti-Ship Missile

The U.S. Navy will soon hold a competition for development of a new anti-ship missile — to be used from the air or on ships and submarines — which could boost their ability to confront surface threats. According to USNI News, the Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW)/Increment 2 will follow from an earlier authorization for an air-launched missile being developed by DARPA.

The new weapon will be designed to address the “advanced 2024 threat,” according to a statement released by the Navy. There is no timeframe for completion of the project or requests for proposals from the defense industry.

As USNI News points out, the OASuW Increment 2 is the successor to DARPA’s Long Range Anti-Ship Missle (LRASM), the design of which is based on Lockheed’s AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range.