OpFires

Operational Fires, abbreviated OpFires, is a ground-launched hypersonic missile program developed by the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for the American armed forces. The system fires a boost-glide vehicle, and the lead contractor is Lockheed Martin. Its aim is a medium-range hypersonic weapon, with a range thought to reach about 1,000 miles, that costs less and flies a shorter distance than the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon so that more targets can be struck at operational ranges. It reuses the glide body developed for the AGM-183 ARRW. Its distinctive feature is a throttleable rocket motor whose thrust can be shut off at a chosen point in flight instead of burning all its fuel, which lets the missile hit nearer targets. In July 2022 the system was successfully tested from a Palletized Load System launcher vehicle at White Sands Missile Range, and Lockheed Martin built the system with a Northrop Grumman rocket motor.