Pentagon cuts funding, cancels Navy's hypersonic missile program
The Pentagon has decided to cancel further work on the HALO missile. This hypersonic, next-generation missile was designed to provide the Navy with greater capabilities than current weapons to combat enemy ships and attack land targets. The reason for the cancellation of this prospective weapon is a lack of funds.
Budget constraints are the reason the Pentagon is abandoning the HALO (Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive Anti-Surface) missile. The next-generation weapon was intended to arm American carrier-based aircraft starting in 2031, offering the Navy new and enhanced offensive capabilities compared to current ones.
The plan was for the hypersonic HALO missile to replace the currently used subsonic AGM-158C LRASM anti-ship missiles. Its very high speed would allow it to attack distant targets much more quickly.
Prior to the decision to cancel the HALO program, the ability to achieve hypersonic speeds was questioned by U.S. Navy representatives. They argued that the new missile would reach speeds of about Mach 4, which is fast but does not qualify it as a hypersonic weapon.
U.S. Navy without a "critical asset"
The U.S. Navy currently has modern LRASM anti-ship missiles. This weapon is based on the AGM-158B JASSM-ER missile, featuring reduced detectability and advanced target seeking and locating capabilities. The LRASM also has a high ability to evade enemy defense systems.
These capabilities influenced expectations for the HALO missile—its high speed was intended not only to penetrate the attacked ship's defense but primarily to reduce the time from launch to target impact.
According to Naval News, the HALO missile was evaluated by the U.S. Navy as a "critical" asset, crucial for efficiently countering current and future threats. The main reason for the program's cancellation was cited as "due to budgetary constraints that prevent fielding new capability within the planned delivery schedule."
