HALO: The Navy’s New Formidable Hypersonic Missile

In a potential large-scale naval confrontation between competing nations in the vast open waters, possibly hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the shore, the effectiveness of land-based missiles may be limited. In such a scenario, the HALO missile could potentially play a significant role.

The Navy intends to equip its F-35s and F/A-18s with an advanced air-launched hypersonic missile named Hypersonic Air-Launched Offensive (HALO). The purpose of this capability is to enable the destruction of enemy ships at sea from aerial platforms.
This capability is of utmost importance, as it provides maritime attack forces with an unparalleled advantage by allowing them to swiftly detect and eliminate enemy targets from distances spanning several hundred miles away.

Two prominent industry leaders, Lockheed and Raytheon, are currently developing prototype missiles in the hopes of being selected for the subsequent phase in 2024. Specific details regarding the underlying technologies driving this platform remain limited, and there is little information available regarding tests or progress made thus far on the HALO. Nevertheless, the potential introduction of such a weapon presents the possibility of unprecedented tactical advantages.
The effectiveness and sophistication of the guidance systems are likely crucial to the success of this weapon. However, details about these technologies are typically highly classified, with minimal information being disclosed. If the HALO can employ advanced guidance technology to track and destroy mobile targets at distances surpassing the radar horizon, enemy ships may face risks from aerial attacks while manned vessels can maintain safer standoff distances.

While the Army is progressing with its Long Range Hypersonic Weapon, a land-based hypersonic breakthrough expected to debut this year, the Air Force has temporarily paused its Air-Launched Rapid Response hypersonic weapon following an unsuccessful test. Nonetheless, research efforts will persist with the aim of eventually resuming the program.
While the Navy’s HALO may bear some similarities to the ARRW (Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon) in certain aspects, it will provide ship-launched fighters with new attack capabilities owing to the remarkable speeds at which hypersonic weapons travel. An F-35C armed with HALO could utilize its stealth capabilities to penetrate enemy air defenses and unleash the hypersonic cruise missile to neutralize targets on land, in the air, and at sea.

The Navy’s existing arsenal includes the semi-autonomous, air-launched Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, which possesses the capability to adapt to moving targets during flight through a certain degree of autonomy. If the HALO achieves comparable or higher levels of autonomy, it would operate with high-speed, computer-enabled autonomous navigation, opening up a whole new range of target possibilities. If HALO is equipped with autonomous flight capabilities, it could be launched into the air and adjusted to engage new or maneuvering targets while en route.

By launching from the ocean to track and destroy enemy force installations, equipment, and platforms from stand-off distances, U.S. forces gain a strategic advantage.
Furthermore, the incorporation of autonomy into HALO would significantly magnify its impact on enemy forces, supplies, and warships. This critical technology introduces a groundbreaking hypersonic cruise missile, enabling the elimination of enemy ships in “blue water” warfare, far away from shore.
In the context of a major maritime engagement between rival powers on the open ocean, potentially spanning hundreds or even thousands of miles offshore, where the range of most land-fired missiles is insufficient, the HALO could prove to be highly influential.