General Atomics says it could shrink its Vektrex howitzer-launched glide munition down to a size small enough for several of them to be packed inside the nose of a missile. The company has already put forward a more specific concept involving an AIM-174B air-to-air missile turned into a strike weapon carrying seven Vektrex-derived submunitions. Being able to load existing and future air- and surface-launched missiles with multiple gliding submunitions could open up new operational possibilities and create additional challenges for defenders.
Naval News was the first to report on the submunition-laden AIM-174B concept after seeing a rendering, seen below, on display at General Atomics’ booth at the Euronaval 2026 exhibition in Paris, France, last week. General Atomics’ Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) division has now provided additional information directly to TWZ.
“We’re exploring a concept for deploying Vektrex-derived maneuvering submunitions from air- and ground-launched missiles to address emerging needs for extended-range precision fires,” Mike Rucker, Vice President of GA-EMS Weapons Programs, told us in a statement. “Our investments in advanced weapons, precision machining, automation and assembly provide a manufacturing foundation to support production as designs qualify and customers commit.”
To take a step back, General Atomics first unveiled Vektrex in 2023, at which time it was called the Long Range Maneuvering Projectile (LRMP). It is an unpowered precision-guided munition with pop-out wings that deploy after launch. Development to date, which has been conducted with support from the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy, has been focused first on a version of Vektrex that can be fired from standard 155mm howitzers. A concept for a configuration that can be launched via 5-inch naval guns has also been shown.
General Atomics has previously described Vektrex as having “advanced redundant guidance systems” that enable it to hit static or moving targets. The navigation system allows for multiple types of approaches to the target area. In the terminal phase, it can execute a steep dive onto a fixed set of coordinates or follow a differently shaped flight path to that impact point, if desired. It can also switch over to an onboard seeker to find mobile targets. Indirect approach vectors and maneuvering in the latter stages of flight can also improve survivability.
“The underlying artillery application provides the technical starting point [for the submubition concept],” General Atomics’ Rucker told us. “Deployable wings enable aerodynamic glide that multiplies Vektrex’s reach two to three times beyond conventional rounds. Its capabilities include resilient navigation in GPS-degraded or denied environments.”
General Atomics has previously projected the maximum range of a Vektrex round fired from a 155mm howitzer with a 39-caliber barrel to be in excess of 74.5 miles (120 kilometers). The munition’s reach extends further, to more than 124 miles (200), when launched from a longer 52-caliber 155mm howitzer. As a point of comparison, the maximum range of existing U.S. Army 39-caliber 155mm howitzers is generally pegged at around 19 miles when firing unguided rocket-assisted rounds and 25 miles when employing GPS-assisted M982 Excalibur precision-guided shells.
“The missile-carried submunition concept envisions a larger missile carrying and releasing multiple Vektrex-derived maneuvering projectiles,” according to Rucker. “The concept expands the potential delivery options for maneuvering precision payloads, giving prospective customers a concrete configuration to evaluate against their requirements for range, payload, platform compatibility and affordability. Those requirements would guide how we advance the concept.”
“For artillery users, the modernization opportunity is to extend capability while building on existing launcher and support infrastructure. The missile-carried concept explores a different application of that technology,” he added. “While much of the core technology is applicable, this configuration would require additional engineering and validation.”
As noted, General Atomics has already presented one potential pairing in the form of the AIM-174B loaded with seven submunitions. The U.S. Navy officially unveiled the AIM-174B, also known as the Gunslinger, in 2024. It is an air-launched version of the surface-launched Standard Missile-6 (SM-6). The SM-6 is a multi-purpose weapon able to engage a variety of aerial targets, including ballistic missiles and even certain hypersonic threats in the terminal phases of their flight. It can also be employed in a surface-to-surface mode.
The Navy currently describes the AIM-174B as purely an air-to-air missile. However, TWZ has previously highlighted the potential for the Gunslinger to be employed in the air-to-surface mode, especially given its lineage from the SM-6. A version loaded with gliding submunitions could open new options for engaging multiple targets across a broader area, and doing so at extended ranges, just by launching a single missile.
The reach of this particular pairing could be particularly impressive given the surface-launched SM-6’s stated range of well over 200 miles. Unlike the SM-6, which uses a rocket booster for initial launch, the AIM-174 benefits from the altitude and speed of the aircraft firing it. Though not confirmed, Gunslinger’s maximum range by itself can be reasonably understood to be in the hundreds of miles. Vektrex-derived submunitions could easily add dozens of miles of additional range, at least, from their release point.
A version of the AIM-174B in this configuration would enable strikes on targets deeper inside hostile territory while also helping to keep launch platforms away from enemy air defenses. A single missile could also target multiple ships within a surface action group hundreds of miles away. In any scenario, it would also expand the total number of targets a single aircraft could engage on a single sortie.
The full General Atomics rendering showing the submunition-toting Gunslinger also shows it being launched from a F/A-18E/F Super Hornet carrying another one of these missiles. As such, the jet’s loadout would include 14 gliding submunitions on just two stations. A Super Hornet could carry up to four of these missiles, or a total of 28 submunitions. In this case, the fighter is also depicted carrying two Bullseye cruise missiles, two AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, and two AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. Bullseye is a cooperative development between General Atomics and Israeli defense contractor Rafael.
This is also just one potential combination. Vektrex-derived submunitions capable of being released from an AIM-174B could also be loaded into surface-launched SM-6s. Just within the U.S. military today, there are multiple options for firing SM-6s from ships, as well as from launchers on land.
Based on the AIM-174B concept that has been presented now, there are certainly other suitably large missiles in existence today that could carry various numbers of Vektrex-derived submunitions. The U.S. Army notably has plans already for a future version of its Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) short-range ballistic missile loaded with “enhanced” payloads, which could include precision-guided submunitions and/or drones.
Depending on the cost of the submunitions, General Atomics’ Vektrex-based submunition concept could also offer broader magazine depth and supply chain benefits. The 155mm-howitzer-launched Vektrex is already being designed with an eye toward affordability and producibility.
“Our focus is developing capabilities that help U.S., allied and partner forces extend precision fires, maintain effectiveness when navigation is disrupted, and obtain munitions in the quantities they need,” GA-EMS’ Rucker told us. “Vektrex is one way we are addressing those needs through improvements at the munition level.”
It should also be noted here that, in general, the safe release of submunitions from any missile, especially one traveling at very high speeds, can present technical challenges. The payloads are subjected to physical and thermal stresses in the process, which seekers and other systems within also have to withstand. The core Vektrex design does have the benefit of being designed from the outset to be shot from a howitzer, which imparts its own stresses on the projectile. A missile with a Vektrex-derived payload could also perform maneuvers to bleed off energy before release, too.
All this being said, General Atomics has stressed that the idea of Vektrex-derived submunitions loaded into AIM-174Bs or any other missile is still very much in the conceptual stage.
“We are exploring the air-launched submunition concept internally, and it does not currently have a sponsoring customer,” GA-EMS’ Rucker told us. “Our near-term focus is advancing Vektrex’s 155 mm application toward customer procurement, while evaluating additional applications against prospective customers’ operational requirements.”
“That development effort is supported by established manufacturing investments,” he added. “As we announced in June, our Mississippi operations include automated precision machining cells tailored to Vektrex components, together with robotics, assembly and systems integration capabilities supporting advanced weapons programs.”
At the same time, General Atomics is clearly already looking to the future for Vektrex, which could go well beyond the core gun-launched variation.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com
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