CoAspire Tests 3D-Printed ‘RAACM’ Cruise Missile From Fighter Jet

American defense firm CoAspire has test-launched its 3D-printed Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile (RAACM) from a fighter jet.

The missile has the same physical dimensions as a 500-pound (227-kilogram) class MK-82 general-purpose or GBU-38 guided bomb.

CoAspire explained that the RAACM is designed for compatibility with any aircraft equipped to carry a GBU-38.

Company-provided images show the system configured with several platforms, including the F-15E Strike Eagle, F/A-18 Hornet, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and F-35 Lightning II.

Features

The missile is developed to be cost-effective and suitable for export.

Leveraging additive manufacturing, RAACM does not require tooling during assembly, reducing labor and production costs.

“CoAspire’s goal is to disrupt the cruise missile market and provide customers with an affordable and capable cruise missile at a fraction of the cost of other air-launched cruise missiles,” stated the company.

The missile features a winged airframe, a turbojet engine, a warhead, and a guidance system designed for precise targeting.

It supports payload swaps and upgrades to improve performance, survivability, and mission adaptability.

The RAACM’s modular and scalable design is suitable for the development of larger variants that could be launched from air, land, or sea platforms, with an expected range of several hundred miles (over 300 kilometers).

Components are sourced through subcontractors across 26 US states and two European countries. 

The US government approved $6 million for the RAACM missile program in this year’s defense budget, marking the second consecutive year the project has secured funding through the annual defense bill.