Lockheed Martin has unveiled a new hypersonic glide body designed to provide the U.S. military with a more affordable, scalable and rapidly producible long-range strike capability, a program expected to further strengthen the company’s growing presence in Huntsville and Courtland.
The defense contractor announced Wednesday that its Next Generation Glide Body, known as NXGB, successfully completed its Preliminary Design Review and is scheduled for a flight demonstration in 2027.
According to Lockheed Martin, the system combines advanced hypersonic performance with a manufacturing-first approach intended to reduce costs while delivering greater range and velocity than current designs. The company said NXGB is designed to be launched from multiple platforms across multiple warfighting domains, providing greater operational flexibility while supporting the military’s growing demand for long-range strike capabilities.
“NXGB demonstrates our commitment to delivering next-generation deterrence that is not only effective, but affordable and producible at scale,” said Johnathon Caldwell, vice president and general manager of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems for Lockheed Martin. “We designed this capability from the outset to provide greater value to our customers while delivering an operational advantage to the warfighter.”
North Alabama sits at the center of Lockheed Martin’s hypersonic development and manufacturing operations.
Huntsville serves as headquarters for Lockheed Martin’s Strategic and Missile Defense Systems and houses the company’s advanced Hypersonic System Integration Laboratory, where engineers conduct design, testing and simulation work for next-generation missile systems.
Courtland has become a key manufacturing hub for the company’s hypersonic and missile defense programs. The Lawrence County site includes the Hypersonic Missile Assembly Building and the recently opened Missile Assembly Building 5, which supports production of the Next Generation Interceptor program and other advanced defense systems.
The announcement comes as Lockheed Martin continues expanding its manufacturing footprint in North Alabama, positioning the region as a critical component of the nation’s future missile defense and long-range strike capabilities.
“The future of deterrence belongs to solutions that combine innovative Modular Open Systems Approach and modern design methods with proven performance,” Caldwell said. “NXGB reflects a paradigm shift focusing on design for manufacturing at scale while implementing decades of lessons learned designing, producing and delivering mission-critical systems for the warfighter.”
The company said it has invested heavily in manufacturing infrastructure and supply chain partnerships to support large-scale production if the program advances beyond testing.
A flight demonstration is planned for 2027.
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