Northrop Grumman is developing the Stand-In Attack Weapon (SiAW), a versatile guided air-to-surface missile that builds upon the design of the AGM-88G anti-radar missile, aka AARGM-ER.
While the AARGM-ER is tailored to neutralize air defense systems such as the russian S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the SiAW is intended to be used against a broader array of threats, including enemy short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) like the Iskander and electronic warfare (EW) systems.
Read more: If russia Threatens With RS-26 Rubezh, the U.S. Must Provide SM-6 Missiles
The project aiming to reshape an anti-radar missile into a multipurpose weapon is noteworthy as this concept only begins to gain traction across the world.
Currently, few details are available about the SiAW. According to The War Zone, the missile's exact specifications remain classified, with only details confirmed being its AARGM-ER lineage and plans to incorporate the weapon in the F-35 fifth-generation fighter jet’s arsenal.
Northrop Grumman has reportedly delivered a prototype for flight testing to the U.S. Air Force, although the timeline for these tests is undisclosed.
The SiAW's development leverages the proven success of the AGM-88 anti-radar missile, which has demonstrated its effectiveness in real combat. Particularly, in the hands of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the baseline version AGM-88 HARM has been instrumental in targeting and destroying russian air defense systems.
But there's also a lesser-known yet interesting episode that happened in May 2024, when a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler used an AGM-88E to destroy a Yemeni Houthi Mi-24 helicopter while it was stationed on the ground.
Read more: Ukrainian Forces Showed the Su-27 Aircraft Armed with Western AGM-88 HARM Missile
