The “Mako” Hypersonic Missile is America’s Answer to China
Unlike other advanced weapons systems in America’s arsenal—especially unlike other hypersonic weapons—the Mako is relatively affordable.
With the race for hypersonic weapons reaching a fever pitch, the United States finds itself behind both the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. Thankfully, the Americans are not sitting idly by (though they are not anywhere near where they should be in the development of hypersonic weapons).
Lockheed Martin last year unveiled their new Mako hypersonic weapon. Measuring at 13 feet in length, with a 13-inch diameter, and weighing approximately 1,300 pounds, with a 130-pound warhead, this missile could be the beginning of how America pulls itself out of its hypersonic rut.
Mako is designed to fit within the internal weapons bays of America’s vaunted fifth-generation warplanes, either the F-35 Lightning II or the F-22A Raptor, making it the first hypersonic weapon in America’s arsenal that can be carried aboard a fighter craft. What’s more, Lockheed claims that this unique American weapon is compatible with the F/A-18 Super Hornet, as well as the F-15, F-16, and the P-8A Poseidon. That gives the United States many different options when it comes to the deployment of this potent weapon.
The Mako is an A2/AD Killer
The Mako hypersonic missile is powered by a solid-fuel rocket motor, enabling the weapon to go at least Mach 5 while radically maneuvering in a high-altitude environment. This last part is what makes it nearly impossible for air defenses to accurately defend against. A Mako hypersonic missile can engage a variety of target sets, ranging from land-based to sea-based—and at varying speeds.
Back in 2017, Mako began its development course under Lockheed Martin as the defense firm bid for the United States Air Force’s Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) program, which aimed at providing aircraft with the capability to burst the so-called defensive bubbles the anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems of rivals, namely China, have established to stop US power projection. Northrup Grumman ultimately won the SiAW contract.
But Lockheed’s leadership believed they had already invested so much into the program, and there was such an obvious unmet demand for hypersonic weapons in the US, the Mako project was continued.
Eventually, Lockheed evolved the program into a multi-mission platform that was pitched to both the Air Force and United States Navy for potential deployment on submarines and surface warships.
Unlike other advanced weapons systems in America’s arsenal—especially unlike other hypersonic weapons—the Mako is relatively affordable. That’s because Lockheed is using an innovative open-architecture, all-digital design. Beyond this, Lockheed is employing 3D printing to build the guidance section and fins of the Mako.
Plus, Lockheed is incorporating other, preexisting technologies into the weapon rather than trying to start everything from scratch. As the New Atlas reported, “the guidance system alone is 1/10th the cost and 10 times faster to produce than those produced using conventional methods.”
Mako is Going Global?
Lockheed has further expressed interest in selling the Mako to allied nations that are desiring hypersonic weapons. Thus, the potential for interoperability at the hypersonic weapons level is real. The Australians and British are keenly interested in possibly acquiring this new hypersonic weapon from the Americans, underscoring the importance of the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) defense technology sharing alliance.
The British are talking about making the Mako hypersonic missile available for their powerful Eurofighter Typhoon.
In the age of A2/AD and denial of power projection, hypersonic weapons, as well as systems that can deploy from over-the-horizon and penetrate those A2/AD bubbles, will be key.
Currently, China and Russia both have working arsenals of advanced hypersonic weapons. Even North Korea and possibly Iran are acquiring such systems. The Americans have been behind in this critical area for far too long.
Mako is a step in the right direction toward ensuring the Americans can at least give as good as they might get in any potential fight with one—or all—of those aforementioned powers.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock.
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