Lockheed Martin Unveils AGM-158 FLEX Modular Airframe

Lockheed Martin Corporation has unveiled a modular airframe architecture for its AGM-158 cruise missile family, enabling a single core missile design to be launched from air, surface, sub-surface, and ground platforms.

Announced on September 15, 2026, the AGM-158 FLEX airframe utilizes interchangeable nose cones and boat tails to adapt the weapon for different mission profiles. According to a company press release, the design provides military operators with a scalable method to upgrade capabilities and avoid subcomponent obsolescence without requiring separate integration programs for new configurations.

Engineering the FLEX architecture

The FLEX concept centers on standardizing the central fuselage of the missile while allowing the front and rear sections to be swapped based on the launch platform and mission requirements. Lockheed Martin invested $35 million to design and qualify the FLEX airframe concept, a process that included concept development, testing, and prototype production.

The interchangeable nose cones will house the specific sensor suites required for different variants, including the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). The removable boat tail section allows the weapon to transition from its traditional air-launched configuration to surface, sub-surface, and ground launch setups.

“We recognized a demand from our customers to have increased options to support their evolving strategic defense and mission needs,” Lockheed Martin stated in the release. “We know no problem or threat exists in a vacuum, and so we innovate with intent, keeping integration in mind and ensuring that our solutions aren’t just new, they’re immediately useful.”

The architecture will support multiple missile lengths depending on the required range and payload:

• 168 inches: The standard extended range option, consistent with the dimensions of the JASSM-ER.
• 206 inches: The extreme range option, designed to support the JASSM-XR configuration.

Manufacturing capacity and defense investment

The introduction of the FLEX airframe aligns with broader efforts by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to increase long-range precision strike capacity. The JASSM-XR variant, which features a 1,000-pound warhead and extreme standoff range, will be the first weapon configuration to utilize the new FLEX architecture.

To support the production of the AGM-158 family at scale, Lockheed Martin opened a 225,000-square-foot intelligent production facility in 2022. The factory incorporates dynamic model forecasting and a fully robotic paint line. The company noted that the modular nature of the FLEX airframe will directly benefit these manufacturing operations.

“The FLEX airframe will provide a modular airframe that gets ahead of subcomponent obsolescence, provides future capability enhancements to outpace threats and enable scalability at the production factory,” the company stated.

The push for scalability follows a $3.2 billion Undefinitized Contract Action awarded to Lockheed Martin in 2024 by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, aimed at significantly increasing the production capacity for both JASSM and LRASM.

AirPro News analysis

The transition to a modular airframe for the AGM-158 family represents a critical shift in munitions procurement for the DoD. By standardizing the core airframe across air, land, and sea domains, we expect the military to realize substantial logistical efficiencies. Historically, adapting an air-launched cruise missile for a vertical launching system on a surface ship or a submarine torpedo tube required extensive, bespoke engineering efforts that drove up costs and extended development timelines.

The FLEX architecture bypasses this bottleneck. With the JASSM-XR serving as the launch platform for the FLEX design, Lockheed Martin is positioning the AGM-158 family to meet the immediate demand for extreme standoff ranges. This modularity also simplifies the supply chain, allowing the 2022 production facility to churn out a single core airframe that can be customized at the final assembly stage or retrofitted as operational needs dictate.

Sources: Lockheed Martin