In order to expand and strengthen the range of weapons available for its combat aircraft, the U.S. Air Force has issued a call for industrial partners to develop a missile similar to the SiAW, intended to equip the new F-47 fighters and B-21 bombers. While this is a notice published by the USAF Life Cycle Management Center at Eglin Air Force Base to identify potential interested parties—and does not constitute a formal solicitation—the development highlights the service’s interest in systems capable of neutralizing a wide variety of ground targets amid the war against Iran, in which more than 5,000 objectives have reportedly already been struck.
Adding some relevant detail, the requirements list for this new missile includes the aforementioned B-21 and F-47, but also the F-16 and F-35—the latter being the platform for which the SiAW system was primarily designed. Moreover, this marks the first time the U.S. Air Force has included the F-47 in an official procurement document tied to a specific weapon, underscoring progress toward consolidating the sixth-generation aircraft within the USAF. In addition, the document calls for an open-architecture design to facilitate future integration on other aircraft types operated by international allies.
With a production requirement of 600 rounds per year while keeping costs affordable, the Air Force expects weapons with a service life of around 15 years, aiming for low maintenance demands to ensure long-term operability. In terms of intended combat capabilities, the new missile is expected to incorporate anti-radiation characteristics to neutralize advanced radars at long range, as well as various air-defense systems and other types of mobile targets. To that end, it must feature highly precise navigation and guidance systems, along with elements enabling it to withstand potential enemy electronic-warfare jamming.
It was also indicated that prototype development would extend through 2027, with the goal of fielding the first production lots in the 2030s if that phase is successfully completed. For now, however, companies interested in participating may submit their capability statements until March 19, after which the U.S. government will review them and make a subsequent decision.
On the other hand, while the U.S. Air Force notice does not specify why a SiAW-like model is being pursued, it is worth recalling that SiAW missiles are currently classified under the Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) Rapid Prototyping pathway. The weapon has been in development for years, with a major milestone being the award of a contract worth more than $700 million to Northrop Grumman in 2023 to manufacture rounds and test them at proving grounds. In earlier stages, L3Harris and Lockheed Martin also took part.
Along those lines, it is worth noting that after the first missiles were delivered in November 2024, the USAF conducted its initial evaluations of the SiAW system using an F-16 in December 2024. At the time, the manufacturer described the missile as being designed: “(…) to rapidly attack and defeat high-value, time-sensitive threats in contested environments (…) expanding the U.S. Air Force target set to include heavily defended ground targets. The missile is designed using digital engineering and features open-architecture interfaces that will enable rapid subsystem upgrades to incorporate enhanced capabilities.”
Images used for illustrative purposes.
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