Lockheed Martin has introduced its next generation glide body (NXGB), a hypersonic system developed to offer long-range strike capabilities to military forces.

In a release on 24 June, the company stated that this new glide body features enhanced speed and range compared to current models, with an emphasis on reduced production costs and large-scale manufacturability.

The NXGB is designed for use across multiple warfighting domains and can be deployed from various platforms, aiming to provide increased operational flexibility in contested environments.

Lockheed Martin stated that the design supports scaled production, which is intended to enable the delivery of strike options while lowering risks to US forces.

Lockheed Martin vice president and strategic and missile defence systems general manager Johnathon Caldwell said: "NXGB demonstrates our commitment to delivering next-generation deterrence that is not only effective, but affordable and producible at scale."

Lockheed Martin said that the system draws on over 60 years of missile development experience, using established technologies, engineering methods, and insights gained from previous operational systems.

The company has also invested in manufacturing facilities and expanded its production capacities to support NXGB and cites supply chain partnerships as positioning it to quickly scale output in support of operational needs.

The NXGB programme has already cleared its Preliminary Design Review, confirming the design meets the required standards for performance, producibility and affordability.

A flight demonstration is planned for 2027 to further validate the system’s performance and capabilities.

Caldwell added: "NXGB reflects a paradigm shift focusing on design for manufacturing at scale while implementing decades of lessons learned designing, producing and delivering mission-critical systems for the warfighter."