Havoc Spear: AFSOC's Bid on a Massive, Long-Range Missile
For the past several years, the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and Leidos Holdings have been working on the Small Cruise Missile, an advanced air-launched cruise missile (ALCM). The project is nearing completion: the AGM-190A, also known as the Havoc Spear, has completed design and major testing, and is scheduled to enter serial production and begin deliveries to combat units soon.
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The Small Cruise Missile program was formalized in 2022 with the signing of a CRADA (Cooperative Research & Development Agreement) between Leidos, USSOCOM, and AFSOC. Unlike a traditional R&D contract, a CRADA involves co-funding, shared intellectual property rights, and streamlined approval procedures. According to AFSOC, this has accelerated development.
News Progress reports were announced in mid-May 2026 at the Special Operations Forces Week conference. AFSOC unveiled a full-scale mockup of the missile, designated AGM-190, and officially revealed its second name, Havoc Spear. According to AFSOC, the name was chosen by U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meinke in November 2025 during a visit to the command's headquarters at Hurlburt Field. Assigning Popular Names aviation weapons systems are the responsibility of the minister of the relevant ministry of the Armed Forces.
AFSOC representatives noted that the standard development cycle for an air-launched cruise missile is 5-7 years. They estimated that in the case of the AGM-190, this period was reduced almost in half: the main design work and several testing phases took approximately three years from the signing of the CRADA.
The same speech mentions a so-called "combat evaluation" of the product. When and where it was conducted is not specified. In Pentagon practice, this term typically refers to the transfer of a pilot batch to an operational deployment zone for system integration testing by combat crews and does not necessarily imply participation in actual combat engagements. At the time of publication, there is no independent confirmation of the AGM-190A's combat use in open sources.
Chronology of development
Leidos began developing a "small cruise missile" initiative in 2021. At that time, the project was known as the Black Arrow. In 2022, AFSOC formalized the SCM program and awarded Leidos the aforementioned CRADA.
In December 2023, the first practical tests took place: practicing the safe separation of a missile dummy from an AC-130J Ghostrider air support aircraft. During this same period, the munition received its official designation AGM-190. Approximately a year later, test launches began: missiles were launched from a launcher mounted on the AC-130J's cargo ramp, practicing various flight profiles and deployment scenarios. By the time of the May 2026 conference, the test plan had been almost fully completed.
The Air Force and Leidos are currently preparing for serial production. The first batches are scheduled to be delivered to combat aviation units in the near future. Following the testing, AFSOC expects a significant expansion of the strike capabilities of aircraft and helicopters operating for AFSOC and SOCOM. The Havoc Spear is positioned as a precision-guided long-range attack weapon, both independent and in support of ground units.
Technical features
The AGM-190A Havoc Spear is an air-launched cruise missile with a traditional aerodynamic design for its class. The missile's body is cylindrical, with a hemispherical nose cone. The wing is folding, medium-aspect ratio, and stowed alongside the body during transport. The tail section houses four X-shaped rudders. The propulsion system is a compact, low-resource turbojet engine; the remaining volume is occupied by the instrument compartment, payload bay, and fuel.
The missile is approximately 2,13 meters (7 feet) long and weighs approximately 200 pounds (91 kg) at launch. This significantly exceeds the dimensions of the Common Launch Tube (CLT), which is used to transport missiles like the Griffin or GBU-69/B. Therefore, the AGM-190 is launched not from a CLT, but from a specially designed Ramp Launch Tube (RLT), located in the cargo hold of transport aircraft. Upon launch, the missile is ejected from the ramp in the direction of flight, stern first relative to the launch vehicle.
AGM-190 in flight configuration
According to publicly available information, the Pratt & Whitney TJ150-7 turbojet engine is used as the propulsion system. The missile's stated performance characteristics include high subsonic speed, a service ceiling of approximately 9000 meters, and a launch range of over 400 nautical miles (over 740 km). The developers attribute these figures to high-altitude cruising and the aerodynamics of the folding wing. At the time of publication, these figures are supported only by statements from the developer and the customer.
In the presented configuration, the AGM-190A only engages targets with predetermined coordinates: the autopilot follows a preset route using inertial and satellite navigation. The developer mentions a modular architecture for the onboard systems, which allows, in particular, for the installation of seeker heads.
The payload is also modular. AFSOC and Leidos position the missile as a mission-adaptable/modular hardware design: it is capable of carrying both kinetic and non-kinetic payloads. Depending on the mission, the payload bay can be integrated with a unitary high-explosive fragmentation warhead (against soft and lightly armored targets) or specialized modules, such as EW or reconnaissance sensors. Details about the availability of the cumulative variant are not disclosed in open sources.
This modularity allows AFSOC to use the Havoc Spear not only as a precision strike weapon, but also as a saturation weapon. Defense The Enhanced Precision Effects (EPE) command concept is designed to counter the enemy's electronic warfare capabilities and counter their electronic warfare systems. The stated target classes include stationary and mobile objects, including radars, launchers, and light armored vehicles. Possible modes of use include mass strikes, jamming, or serving as a decoy within a group.
The AGM-190 can be carried by various types of aircraft and helicopters: it can be suspended on standard racks or externally. A special scenario involves launching from the AC-130J cargo ramp via the RLT system. This configuration is of interest to AFSOC for several reasons: the AC-130J transport glider carries significantly more ordnance than a tactical aircraft; it has a long flight endurance and can loiter over the target area; and finally, reloading via the ramp is theoretically possible in flight, something that underwing racks do not allow.
AGM-190 missiles in containers on the ramp of an AC-130J aircraft.
The possibility of deploying the system on ground platforms was previously mentioned, but this proposal has not yet been developed. Its prospects likely depend on SOCOM's plans.
Special-purpose missile
The AGM-190's key feature is its customer. AFSOC launched the SCM program, and the missile's requirements were tailored to the specific needs of Special Operations Command. This influenced both the choice of the initial launch vehicle (the AC-130J with an RLT ramp) and the emphasis on medium-range performance at low weight. Whether the AGM-190 will be integrated into the tactical general-purpose aviation armament suite remains unknown.
In terms of its overall characteristics, the missile occupies an intermediate position in the US lineup of small-size air-to-air weapons. Compared to its closest "lower-range" competitors (the AGM-176 Griffin, GBU-69/B SGM, and especially the kinetic energy AGM-114R9X), the Havoc Spear differs in its significantly longer range and the use of its own turbojet engine: those missiles are designed for use at ranges of a few kilometers to a few tens of kilometers.
The AGM-190 is separated from its "upper-tier neighbors" by a different set of priorities: simplified navigation without a seeker in the basic version, a focus on mass production and a non-standard carrier in the form of the AC-130J. In this series are the JAGM (short-range, but with a seeker and anti-tank direction), the British SPEAR 3 (of a similar class in range and weight and dimensions, including a sustainer turbojet engine, but designed for a tactical carrier and a different warhead) and the decoy/strike MALD-X. Thus, the Havoc Spear niche is a relatively cheap long-range medium-class cruise missile for AFSOC missions, and not a universal weapon tactical aviation.
Modular architecture (both in terms of onboard systems and payload) is not unique to modern American munitions. However, in this case, it is combined with compactness and compatibility with unconventional delivery systems, making the project uniquely suited for special operations.
AFSOC stated that the SCM program's organizational principles have received high praise within the agency and will be used in future projects; the cost of the program was not disclosed.
Thus, AFSOC is rapidly acquiring weapons that meet its mission requirements. The missile is completing its testing cycle and is moving into serial production. The AGM-190's effectiveness in real-world missions will only be assessed after it reaches operational units and the results of combat use are confirmed.
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