DARPA's autonomous missile-firing missile advances toward flight tests
(2026/02/18)
- Reference: 1771441627
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/02/18/darpa_autonomous_missilefiring_missile/
- Source link:
It's taken about five years, but DARPA's missile-launching missile has become the government's latest experimental X-plane and is advancing toward flight testing.
Calling it a missile-carrying missile may have a nice ring to it, but the X-68A "LongShot" isn't strictly a missile itself. LongShot is actually a full-fledged unmanned aircraft that's air-launched like a missile from larger human-piloted aircraft with the goal of eliminating airborne threats without putting human pilots at risk.
"LongShot burns down significant technical risk and presents a viable path for the military services to increase air combat reach and effectiveness from uninhabited, air-launched platforms," program manager Colonel John Casey said in DARPA's [1]update on the state of the program. "We've completed critical milestones necessary for the integrated flight test campaign, which will validate vehicle performance and lay the foundation for efficient follow-on development."
[2]
Given that this is a highly experimental DARPA program, details about those critical milestones are scarce, with the Defense Department's research arm only saying that the craft recently completed full-scale wind tunnel tests and successful trials of its parachute recovery and weapon-release systems. Colonel Casey provided some additional details to The Register in an email, noting that the LongShot team has been "diligently working" on maturing systems since the program began.
[3]
[4]
"We have made significant progress in the detailed design of a complex flight vehicle and actuation mechanisms to go from a captive store to a flying vehicle," Casey told us. "Further, we have made steady progress on the airworthiness and safe separation artifacts to build towards flight testing."
DARPA wants LongShot to be aircraft-agnostic so that it can be integrated into fighters, bombers, or palletized for launch from larger support aircraft. For its upcoming flight tests, which DARPA said it wants to conduct "as early as the end of 2026," the X-68A LongShot will be deployed from an F-15.
[5]Let there be light! DARPA seeking physics-defying photonic computers to supercharge AI
[6]China successfully tests hypersonic aircraft, maybe at Mach 12
[7]DARPA's Cylon raider autonomous fighter jet advances to next phase
[8]US amends hypersonic weapons strategy: If you can't zoom with 'em, boom 'em
LongShot began under DARPA in 2021 with Phase I design contracts [9]awarded to General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. Following a successful Preliminary Design Review in February 2022, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) was [10]selected to continue into Phase 2 in March 2022. Back then GA-ASI said it intended to conduct flight tests of the LongShot by 2024, which clearly hasn't happened yet.
DARPA noted in 2021 that LongShot was being designed to be capable of controlled flight, and we're told the current iteration of the system is autonomous.
[11]
"For the DARPA demonstration system, the X-68A flies autonomously executing mission plans and maneuvers that it is commanded to execute," Casey explained in his email. In terms of payload, Casey explained that DARPA wants LongShot to integrate "at least two existing air-to-air weapons," giving it multiple opportunities to engage hostile aircraft.
Given that it's still experimental, it's not definite that the X-68A will ever make it past the trial phase, and if it does, Casey did not share when the Department of Defense could feasibly begin to field the aircraft.
"As an experimental flight test demonstrator, the X-68A is intended to prove the flight controls and mechanisms function as designed," Casey explained. "Follow-on development would be necessary to expand the concept from an X-plane to a combat capability." ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.darpa.mil/news/2026/long-shot-success
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aZZEijTVGpasd3I8RgiaXwAAAsc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZZEijTVGpasd3I8RgiaXwAAAsc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aZZEijTVGpasd3I8RgiaXwAAAsc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/06/darpa_seeking_physicsdefying_photonic_computers/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/01/china_successfully_tests_hypersonic_aircraft/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/14/darpas_scylon_raiders_autonomous_fighter/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/12/darpa_boeing_hypersonic_countermeasure/
[9] https://www.darpa.mil/news/2021/longshot-unmanned-air-vehicle
[10] https://www.ga-asi.com/ga-asi-continues-longshot-support#:~:text=It%20is%20envisioned%20that%20LongShot,testing%20would%20begin%20in%202024.
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZZEijTVGpasd3I8RgiaXwAAAsc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Calling it a missile-carrying missile may have a nice ring to it, but the X-68A "LongShot" isn't strictly a missile itself. LongShot is actually a full-fledged unmanned aircraft that's air-launched like a missile from larger human-piloted aircraft with the goal of eliminating airborne threats without putting human pilots at risk.
"LongShot burns down significant technical risk and presents a viable path for the military services to increase air combat reach and effectiveness from uninhabited, air-launched platforms," program manager Colonel John Casey said in DARPA's [1]update on the state of the program. "We've completed critical milestones necessary for the integrated flight test campaign, which will validate vehicle performance and lay the foundation for efficient follow-on development."
[2]
Given that this is a highly experimental DARPA program, details about those critical milestones are scarce, with the Defense Department's research arm only saying that the craft recently completed full-scale wind tunnel tests and successful trials of its parachute recovery and weapon-release systems. Colonel Casey provided some additional details to The Register in an email, noting that the LongShot team has been "diligently working" on maturing systems since the program began.
[3]
[4]
"We have made significant progress in the detailed design of a complex flight vehicle and actuation mechanisms to go from a captive store to a flying vehicle," Casey told us. "Further, we have made steady progress on the airworthiness and safe separation artifacts to build towards flight testing."
DARPA wants LongShot to be aircraft-agnostic so that it can be integrated into fighters, bombers, or palletized for launch from larger support aircraft. For its upcoming flight tests, which DARPA said it wants to conduct "as early as the end of 2026," the X-68A LongShot will be deployed from an F-15.
[5]Let there be light! DARPA seeking physics-defying photonic computers to supercharge AI
[6]China successfully tests hypersonic aircraft, maybe at Mach 12
[7]DARPA's Cylon raider autonomous fighter jet advances to next phase
[8]US amends hypersonic weapons strategy: If you can't zoom with 'em, boom 'em
LongShot began under DARPA in 2021 with Phase I design contracts [9]awarded to General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. Following a successful Preliminary Design Review in February 2022, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) was [10]selected to continue into Phase 2 in March 2022. Back then GA-ASI said it intended to conduct flight tests of the LongShot by 2024, which clearly hasn't happened yet.
DARPA noted in 2021 that LongShot was being designed to be capable of controlled flight, and we're told the current iteration of the system is autonomous.
[11]
"For the DARPA demonstration system, the X-68A flies autonomously executing mission plans and maneuvers that it is commanded to execute," Casey explained in his email. In terms of payload, Casey explained that DARPA wants LongShot to integrate "at least two existing air-to-air weapons," giving it multiple opportunities to engage hostile aircraft.
Given that it's still experimental, it's not definite that the X-68A will ever make it past the trial phase, and if it does, Casey did not share when the Department of Defense could feasibly begin to field the aircraft.
"As an experimental flight test demonstrator, the X-68A is intended to prove the flight controls and mechanisms function as designed," Casey explained. "Follow-on development would be necessary to expand the concept from an X-plane to a combat capability." ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.darpa.mil/news/2026/long-shot-success
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aZZEijTVGpasd3I8RgiaXwAAAsc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZZEijTVGpasd3I8RgiaXwAAAsc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aZZEijTVGpasd3I8RgiaXwAAAsc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/06/darpa_seeking_physicsdefying_photonic_computers/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/01/china_successfully_tests_hypersonic_aircraft/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/14/darpas_scylon_raiders_autonomous_fighter/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/12/darpa_boeing_hypersonic_countermeasure/
[9] https://www.darpa.mil/news/2021/longshot-unmanned-air-vehicle
[10] https://www.ga-asi.com/ga-asi-continues-longshot-support#:~:text=It%20is%20envisioned%20that%20LongShot,testing%20would%20begin%20in%202024.
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZZEijTVGpasd3I8RgiaXwAAAsc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Plus ca change
Claptrap314
Peacetime vs wartime processes. Hitler was the only leader to recognize the development of 20th-century combined arms during the Spanish civil war. It's not an accident that he was already shaping his society to start a global war of conquest.
Re: Plus ca change
MachDiamond
"For the price of one F35, Ukraine can build 2000 FP-1s in 10 days. "
I find a certain beauty in quantity.
For the F-35, there's the price and then there's the ongoing expense that runs at about $40,000/hour of flight time.
"Better is the enemy of good enough".
UCAP
Why?
The Ukrainians have been forced to think out of the box. The UK has not had to do so yet.
Cool
ecofeco
They've re-invent the two stage rocket.
Well done. /s
BTW, sub-title was perfect.
Plus ca change
They're fighting the last war again. Insanely expensive toys.
These will cost hundreds of millions each. One missile hit on the launcher and it's scrap.
Just watched an interesting video about the Ukrainian long-range cruise/drone projects. Their FP-1 drones cost $55,000 each, have a range of 1200 km and a 120kg warhead. They are currently manufacturing 200 A DAY.
For the price of one F35, Ukraine can build 2000 FP-1s in 10 days. Enough to destroy hundreds of targets.And FP-2 (mid range) is coming soon, FP-5 (Flamingo) is already here, range of 3000km with a 1000kg warhead costing $500,000 (likely to fall). Twice the range, twice the warhead and a quarter of the price of a US Tomahawk.
And UK and other NATO countries are planning to double defence budgets and buy the expensive big toys. Why?