--- title: "Tiny Black Arrow Cruise Missile Demonstrates A Whopping 400-Mile Range" description: "The Black Arrow, also known as the [Small Cruise Missile]() (SCM), flew for more than 400 nautical miles in a test earlier this summer. Leidos disclosed the milestone to *TWZ* and also raised the possibility of eventually integrating the missile…" date: "2025-09-24" modified: "2025-09-24" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" - name: "Howard Altman" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/howard-altman" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/black-arrow-small-cruise-missile-demonstrates-400-mile-range" categories: - "Air" - "Air Force Munitions" - "Air-To-Ground" - "Attack" - "C-130" - "Drones" - "Light Air Support" - "News & Features" - "Q-9" - "Special Operations Aviation" - "Transports" - "Unmanned" tags: - "Air Space & Cyber 2025" --- # Tiny Black Arrow Cruise Missile Demonstrates A Whopping 400-Mile Range ![Leidos has raised the possibility of eventually integrating its Black Arrow, also known as the Small Cruise Missile, in the MQ-9 Reaper drone and the OA-1K Skyraider II light attack aircraft. The roughly 200-pound munition has, so far, been tested from C-130 variants but offers the kinds of capabilities that U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is increasingly looking at harnessing.]() *Leidos* The Black Arrow, also known as the [Small Cruise Missile]() (SCM), flew for more than 400 nautical miles in a test earlier this summer. Leidos disclosed the milestone to *TWZ* and also raised the possibility of eventually integrating the missile with the [MQ-9 Reaper]() drone and the [OA-1K Skyraider II]() light attack aircraft. As we have [discussed in the past](), the size and weight of Black Arrow render it suitable for carriage by a wide range of platforms, including drones, while its demonstrated range puts it very much in a class of its own. Discussing the Black Arrow program with *TWZ* at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Mark Miller, senior vice president for Missile and Aviation Systems at Leidos, stated that the [400-nautical-mile barrier]() had been broken in late July, during an envelope-expansion test for the missile carried out from a version of the C-130 transport. Just for context, although wildly different in basic features, that is just under double the range of the original [AGM-158 JASSM]() air-launched cruise missile, and about 70 percent as long as the new extended-range JASSM-ER model. It’s also roughly 10 times the range of an [unpowered Small Diameter Bomb. ]() ![]() *A pair of Ramp Launch Tubes (RLT) loaded with Black Arrows on the rear ramp of an AC-130J. *Leidos screencap** Back in 2021, when U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) [issued a contracting notice]() regarding a Stand-Off Precision Guided Weapon Program Cruise Missile, outlining interest in a weapon of this type, the specifications included a range of between 200 and 400 nautical miles (around 230 and 460 miles). As well as demonstrating its range performance, the July Black Arrow test saw the missile “navigate several thousands of feet of altitude change,” expanding the envelope compared to prior testing. Prior testing includes launch from an [AC-130J Ghostrider gunship]() in November of last year, something you can read more about [here](). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g38\_Uogaa44 “Key performance metrics included maneuverability, climbing and descent performance, waypoint guidance, navigation accuracy, and — very important —integration with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Battle Management System,” Miller added. The roughly 200-pound munition has, so far, been tested from C-130 variants but offers the kinds of capabilities that SOCOM is increasingly looking at harnessing. Miller confirmed that the company was now looking at integrating it on different special operations aircraft, including the MQ-9 and OA-1K. Adding standoff strike capabilities to aircraft like these is seen as a critical way to ensure their relevance, [especially in more contested airspace](). ![]() *An MQ-9 Reaper lands on a highway during Exercise Agile Chariot, April 30, 2023, honing capabilities linked to Agile Combat Employment. *U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Carly Kavish** Notably, adding the Black Arrow to the MQ-9 or OA-1K would create a true standoff weapons delivery platform, meaning that strikes could be launched outside the range of even long-range enemy air defenses. ![The first OA-1K light attack aircraft — recently officially named as the Skyraider II — has been delivered to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). While the command welcomed the militarized derivative of the popular Air Tractor AT-802 crop duster, there remain serious questions about how the Air Force will actually make use of the OA-1K, as the service increasingly prepares for future high-end contingencies.]() *The first OA-1K light attack aircraft was delivered to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) earlier this year. *U.S. Air Force* U.S. Air Force* “Between the modularity, between the relevant testing we’ve done to date, to include integration with a battle management system, we think there’s a pathway to \[integrating Black Arrow on\] multiple platforms, and we look forward to proliferating it,” Miller said. Miller said that the fact that the Black Arrow is already being tested “on a government range, on a government aircraft, integrated into a government battle management system” should provide an advantage over other affordable cruise missile designs that are currently proliferating. So far, the Black Arrow tests have involved “various iterations” of launch tubes on the C-130’s ramp, but future integration on the MQ-9 and OA-1K would require a different launch method. Miller said there is a “clear pathway to multiple different kinds of \[launch\] configurations, whether it’s pallets, bomb rack units, etc., those are all part of the future discussions for this capability.” As for pallets, Miller confirmed that the company is working on several concepts, including a modularized container, as well as “other kinds of palletized options … that will obviously vary across platforms as well.” Miller was not willing to provide a specific timeline update on the program but told *TWZ* that the Black Arrow is “moving along according to an aggressive schedule.” ![]() *Cruciform tailfins deploy as a Black Arrow is ejected from the RLT. *Leidos screencap** Meanwhile, Col. T. Justin Bronder, program executive officer-fixed wing at SOCOM, told *TWZ* that “There’s certainly a need for sort of this type of long-range capability across the spectrum of both SOF and service platforms.” He added: “We’re certainly looking at all options.” Bronder also reflected upon the specific need to modernize the air-launched weapons available to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) platforms: “If you look at the suite of munitions in my fixed-wing portfolio, battle-proven munitions in service with the Special Operations community, they’re largely optimized around the type of fight Special Operations have been in for the past 20 years. Fairly benign environments, uncontested, closer ranges. As we look at how to maintain and adapt to keep the Special Operations Forces relevant in these future, contested, and denied environments, something like greater standoff is obviously a key attribute to consider. There’s obviously a number of programs across the department looking at longer-range affordable munitions just for that purpose.” ![]() *This briefing slide, shown at the SOF Week conference in May 2024, provided a first image of the Small Cruise Missile/Black Arrow under test. *Jamie Hunter** At the Air, Space & Cyber Conference today, *TWZ* also spoke to Lt. Gen. Michael E. Conley, the AFSOC commander, for his thoughts on arming the OA-1K with the Black Arrow specifically: “The beauty of the OA-1K is that it’s modular, it’s adaptable, and for a relatively small aircraft can carry a lot of payload. And so in a perfect world, in a resource-unconstrained world, I want to be able to have as big a menu as possible of things that I could hang from a hardpoint on there, or attach as a sensor. So I absolutely see a desire to have \[Black Arrow\], but not just with OA-1Ks. I’d love to be able to use long-range standoff mission munitions on multiple airframes.” Conley added that the Black Arrow is, at this point, “the biggest effort we have going right now.” ![]() *U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, AFSOC commander, steps from an OA-1K as part of a delivery ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida, on April 3, 2025. *U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Natalie Fiorilli** The Black Arrow also arrives on the scene at a time when the Pentagon is increasingly looking at [the potential of lower-cost weapons]() that can be [readily produced at scale]() to meet the [likely demands of future conflicts](). The Collaborative Research and Development (CRADA) program for the Black Arrow, then known as the Small Cruise Missile, began in 2022 under an agreement between Leidos, SOCOM, and AFSOC. Two years later, SOCOM was publicly stating that the Black Arrow was [one of its top priorities]() and could be launched from the [MC-130J Commando II]() special operations tanker/transport aircraft, as well as the AC-130J, and potentially other platforms. Now, it seems, we might well be seeing the Black Arrow in the future on the MQ-9 and OA-1K. At the same time, should it prove successful, it’s hard to imagine it won’t migrate to other, more traditional platforms, such as bombers and even fighters. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()