Lockheed Martin has released more details about the Mako hypersonic missile the company is building for the U.S. Air Force and international customers. The multi-mission missile, which flies at speeds of Mach 5+, can be launched from a wide variety of aircraft.
Under development since 2017, the Mako began life as a missile participating in the U.S. Air Force’s Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) program and was intended to be both hypersonic and affordable—a logical combination given the geopolitical landscape, which has seen a dramatic shift from counterinsurgency warfare to peer-to-peer conflicts where sheer force size matters.
First unveiled at the Sea Air Space 2024 expo and described by Lockheed as a 13-second missile, the missile is 13 inches (33 cm) in diameter, 13 ft (4 m) long, weighs 1,300 lb (590 kg) and can carry a 130 lb (59 kg) payload. The Mako’s exact specifications are still a secret, but it reaches hypersonic speeds with a simple solid-fuel rocket booster and can be carried on Gen V fighters and a number of other aircraft, including the F-35A, F-35B, F/A-18, F-16, F-15, P-8, F-22 and F-35C. In fact, it can fit internally or externally on any aircraft equipped with 30-inch bulges, meaning it can be carried by bombers. The company also says it can be deployed on submarines and ships if needed.
Mako
But the highlight of the Mako, named after the fastest shark in the ocean, is its cost-effectiveness. Hypersonic missiles are notoriously expensive, but the Mako overcame this by offering a fully digital, open architecture design for rapid development, 3D printing to create the guide section and fins, and extensive use of already proven technology, so there was no need to reinvent the wheel.
According to the company, this approach makes it easy to adapt the Mako to many different missions, including those that require a modifiable guidance system to engage specific targets. Using 3D printing, the guidance system alone is produced at 1/10th the cost and 10 times faster than traditional methods.
The Mako’s top speed has yet to be revealed – although it will exceed five times the speed of sound – and its range has not, but it is likely to be a stand-off weapon, relying on speed and stealth features built into its design. It is also small enough to fit in the weapons bay of an F-35A Lightning II, meaning the fighter jet could carry up to six in combat, a first for hypersonic missiles. If deployed on ships or submarines, the Mako could be fitted to existing vertical launch systems, eliminating the need for dedicated launchers.
Lockheed Martin
After Russia’s failure to establish air dominance during its invasion of Ukraine, Russia and China built large and advanced air defense systems. Mako and similar systems aim to overcome this problem by building large stockpiles of cheap, hypersonic weapons that can neutralize both air defenses and high-value targets.
Mako's unit cost has not yet been made public.
Source: Lockheed Martin