USAF names Northrop Grumman as Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) developer

The US Air Force has selected Northrop Grumman Corporation to develop and test the advanced, high-speed, air-to-around Stand-In Attack Weapon (SiAW) under a contract worth US$705 million ($1.1 billion).

The SiAW is an air-to-ground weapon that will provide strike capability to defeat rapidly relocatable targets such as sensors and missile launchers that form 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.

The missile leverages the company’s weapons systems design, development and production expertise to deliver on the Air Force’s digital engineering priorities and accelerate capability for the warfighter, says the company.

“Northrop Grumman’s SiAW delivers on the Air Force’s desire for its first digital weapons acquisition and development program,” said Susan Bruce, the company’s Vice President, Advanced Weapons. “With our expert digital engineering capabilities, this next-generation missile represents an adaptable, affordable way for the Department of Defense to buy and modernize weapons.”

The SiAW effort focuses on Open, Agile, and Digital tenets to help outpace the threat, according to the Armament Directorate of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, and will utilize Digital Engineering and Weapon Open System Architecture to incorporate mature technologies and leverage existing weapon designs.

Phase 2 development is a continuation of the Air Force requirement for this first-of-its-kind Middle Tier Acquisition large weapon program focused on digital engineering, Weapon Open System Architecture and agility, says Northrop Grumman. The Air Force is targeting an initial operational capability by 2026. Phase 2 consists of two primary increments:

• Phase 2.1 concludes with a guided vehicle flight test
• Phase 2.2 concludes with three additional flight tests and the delivery of SiAW leave-behind prototype missiles and test assets

During the next 36 months, Northrop Grumman will 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 Northridge, California facility and its factory of the future for missile integration at Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in West Virginia.