U.S Navy To Develop Long-Range Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon System For New Underwater Threats

The U.S Navy’s fiscal year 2027 budget documents have revealed the development timeline for the Long Range Anti-Submarine Warfare (LRAW) weapon system.

This program aims to extend the striking distance of current ship-launched weapons, allowing the Navy to neutralise enemy submarines that use long-range standoff tactics.

LRAW will replace the ageing RUM-139 Vertical-Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket (VL-ASROC), currently the primary standoff weapon for surface warships.

The existing VLA system functions by mating a solid-propellant booster to a Mk 54 lightweight torpedo.

Launched from the Mk-41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) on Aegis-equipped cruisers and destroyers, the rocket uses thrust vectoring and digital autopilots to deliver the torpedo to a water-entry point over 10 miles away.

Once submerged, the torpedo initiates a helical search pattern to locate and destroy the target.

While the specific LRAW mechanics remain classified, the system will likely evolve from this proven architecture.

To increase range without enlarging the missile’s physical footprint, ensuring it still fits in standard launch cells, the Navy may use high-energy propellants with “highly loaded grain” configurations, nano-additives to boost motor performance or 3D printing (additive manufacturing) to get more efficient motor components and propellant shapes.

After undergoing a technical review in 2024-25, the LRAW program will begin in 2027, and the testing phase will span 5 years, ending in 2031.

During that phase, emphasis will be placed on modifications of the rocket designs, building prototypes and conducting operational tests.

Financial planning for the program is structured as follows:

• FY 2027: $11.42 million (Initial Phase)
• FY 2028–2031: $152.26 million (Development and Testing)

The LRAW schedule specifically mentions AUKUS, suggesting that development or production may be a collaborative effort with the United Kingdom and Australia under “Pillar II” of the security pact.

This modernisation comes at a critical time as underwater threats are rapidly evolving and the development of quieter submarines, underwater vehicles, unmanned drones, etc., is in full swing.