Lockheed Martin recently announced plans to further develop a first-of-its-kind hypersonic glide body that offers scalability and a long range.

Defense users can launch the NXGB from various platforms across different warfighting domains, which improves flexibility while minimizing risk to U.S. troops.

With advanced hypersonic performance, the next generation glide body (NXGB) provides benefits like:

• Reduced costs
• Longer range
• Improved velocity
• Expanded scalability
• Reliable survivability

As Lockheed Martin is employing a manufacturing-first approach in the NXGB’s development, the company has upgraded its manufacturing infrastructure and production capacity through strategic investments and supply chain partnerships.

The Preliminary Design Review stage in NXGB development is now complete, ensuring that the platform meets all producibility, affordability and performance criteria. The aircraft is expected to undergo flight demonstrations in 2027 to validate its performance.

"NXGB demonstrates our commitment to delivering next-generation deterrence that is not only effective, but affordable and producible at scale," said Johnathon Caldwell, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems.

Caldwell added, "We designed this capability from the outset to provide greater value to our customers while delivering an operational advantage to the warfighter."

"The future of deterrence belongs to solutions that combine innovative Modular Open Systems Approach and modern design methods with proven performance," noted Caldwell said.

He continued, "NXGB reflects a paradigm shift focusing on design for manufacturing at scale while implementing decades of lessons learned designing, producing and delivering mission-critical systems for the warfighter.”

Caldwell concluded, “That heritage allows us to move faster as well as reduce risk and cost while keeping exceptional performance.”