The concept, displayed for the first time at Combined Naval Event 2025, will enable networked anti-ship and land attack strikes from loitering capsules, combining existing capabilities with existing weapon systems.
Northrop Grumman unveiled a new concept to deliver supersonic anti-surface capability to U.S. Navy submarines, pairing its AARGM-ER anti-radiation missile with the Stealthy Affordable Capsule System (SACS), a vertically launched submersible capable of carrying a wide range of non-marinized payloads.
Northrop Grumman’s work on the Stealthy Affordable Capsule System (SACS) dates back to 2002. it completed initial tests in 2003 that validated the capsule’s ability to release non-marinized UAVs. A 2005 trial, Exercise Silent Hammer, tested the capsule onboard USS Georgia (SSGN-729) with the goal of improving U.S. Navy submarines in counter-terrorism missions.
A NAVSEA presentation at the 2002 Joint Undersea Warfare Technology Conference showcased the concepts of SACS as an undersea launch platform from the Flexible Payload Module (FPM), developed for Ohio-class SSGNs. The War Zone originally covered the topic in a background for Ohio-class SSGN unmanned systems operations.
SACS is shown launching from a Flexible Payload Module (FPM). FPM developments evolved into the Virginia Payload Module (VPM) currently being constructed for Block V Virginia-class SSNs. An industry presentation for the 2006 NDIA Systems Engineering Conference confirmed the evolutionary goal of using FPM as an addition to future Virginia-class SSNs, which has since become a reality.
The capsule would allow each Block V Virginia-class submarine to carry up to 40 supersonic anti-ship missiles. Northrop Grumman’s SACS, armed with AARGM-ERs or other anti-ship missiles, could also be loaded in the vertical launch cells of other U.S. Navy submarines.
In practice, the capsule launches from a missile tube to loiter in the area until the launching vehicle clears the area. At that point, it breaches the surface to allow the payload to launch, igniting the motor of the payload and connecting it with external aircraft or ships via datalinks. The missile could also perform its own target search with data loaded into the capsule and missile by the submarine.
Northrop Grumman’s AARGM family of systems continues to grow in 2025 and beyond, enabling air, ground, and submarine launched variants for its missile family as well as a modified variant for time sensitive strikes—the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW).
Another variant for the ground-launched mission is an ‘AARGM-XR’, an extended range AARGM-ER with a large, advanced booster that can achieve longer ranges and higher speeds than the traditional air-launched missile. This variant could be employed by the U.S. Marine Corps given its interest in long-range anti-ship weapons and current acquisition goals for the air-launched AARGM-ER. The U.S. Navy has expressed interest in ground-launched AARGM-ERs, funding the effort in FY2022.
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This article was curated by memoment.jp from the feed source: Naval News.
Original article: https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/cne-2025/2025/06/northrop-grumman-developing-submarine-launched-aargm-er-and-aargm-xr/
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