Leidos received $334 million to develop unique multipurpose hypersonic platform Mayhem for U.S. Air Force

The United States is working on several hypersonic projects at once. One of them is called Mayhem.

Here's What We Know

The Mayhem program does not involve the development of hypersonic weapons, but rather a multipurpose platform that will have unique flight and technical parameters. Leidos, which won a $334 million contract from the U.S. Air Force on December 16, will help Mayhem achieve its goal.

The Mayhem platform will be larger than the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (AARW) hypersonic missile, the full-scale prototype of which was first tested a few days ago with the B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber. The new development will be able to carry several payloads for strike and reconnaissance missions.

Leidos has not been on the list of major players in this area for a long time. Initially, the U.S. Air Force considered offers from Boeing, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. But that all changed after Leidos acquired Dynetics, which is developing gliders for the U.S. military's long-range hypersonic weapons program.

Leidos will participate in the project with Calspan, Draper and Kratos. The first phase of the contract calls for $24 million, at which point the companies will conduct a system requirements analysis and concept design. The entire contract should be completed by October 15, 2028.

The final result of the Mayhem program will be a hypersonic platform that will be lifted into the air by an airplane and then be able to fly on its own. The platform was originally designed as a single-use aircraft, but the U.S. Air Force changed its mind over time.

Mayhem will have interchangeable payloads. This will allow the same demonstrator to be used for different tasks. Carriers of the aircraft will be mostly fighters, which imposes restrictions on the size and weight.

Source: Air and Space Forces