Northrop Grumman Lands $18.8 Million Army Contract for Ramjet Counter-Drone Missile

Northrop Grumman has received an $18.8 million contract from the US Army to develop solid fuel ramjet propulsion for prototype missiles under the Extended-Range Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System programme, known as XRC. The company announced the award on September 29.

The contract comes from the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center. Northrop Grumman will carry out the work at its Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in Rocket Center, West Virginia.

Northrop Grumman XRC Contract for Ramjet Counter-Drone Missiles

“The rapid evolution of unmanned aerial threats demands innovative solutions,” said Erik Buice, vice president of missile products at Northrop Grumman. He said the company’s propulsion expertise supports the Army’s vision for next-generation air defence by engaging targets farther away, protecting mobile forces and strengthening layered defence.

The work includes ground and flight testing to validate both the design and the production processes, the company said. It also describes the manufacturing approach as scalable and cost-effective, aimed at urgent defence requirements.

What Is a Solid Fuel Ramjet?

A solid fuel ramjet, often shortened to SFRJ, is an air-breathing missile engine that burns a solid fuel using oxygen from the air rather than an onboard oxidiser. In the classic design the solid fuel is cast along the wall of the combustion chamber, and hot compressed air ablates the fuel as it flows through. Because the fuel is solid, there are no pumps or injectors, and public references note that solid propellant ramjets cannot flame out the way liquid-fuelled ones can.

Northrop Grumman said the approach improves range and energy delivery and lets a missile engage manoeuvring aerial threats from a safer distance. The technology is also compact, which matters for a missile meant to fit an existing vehicle launcher.

How Does a Ramjet Work?

A ramjet has three main parts: an air intake, a combustor and a nozzle. Forward motion forces air into the intake, slowing and compressing it. Fuel burns in the combustor, and the hot gas accelerates out through the nozzle to produce thrust. With no spinning compressor or turbine, the engine is far simpler than a turbojet.

The catch is that a ramjet produces no thrust when standing still and works poorly below about Mach 0.5. A ramjet missile therefore needs a booster to reach operating speed before the ramjet takes over. Ramjets are most efficient at supersonic speeds, roughly Mach 2 to 4, and can operate to about Mach 6.

Ramjet vs Rocket Motor

What Is the Army XRC Program?

XRC is an Army science and technology effort to develop kinetic missile interceptors with more range, shorter reaction time, greater lethality and reliability, and faster reloading for fixed-site and mobile counter-small-UAS configurations. The Army’s programme description points to a higher-speed, longer-range interceptor for Group 3 small drones flying at higher altitudes, with greater standoff ranges. Publicly available descriptions point to a prototype demonstration before fiscal 2030.

The missile is intended to fit the Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher, the mount used on the Army’s Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) vehicles. Reusing that launcher lets the Army test a longer-reach interceptor without designing a new vehicle around it.

US Army Counter-Drone Missiles Compared

XRC is one of several Army efforts aimed at drones, and they are not the same programme. The Army has said its Next Generation Counter-sUAS Missile, or NGCM, effort is a separately defined initiative from the concurrent Low-Cost Interceptor programme.

Northrop Grumman Ramjet Experience

The award builds on propulsion work Northrop Grumman has already done for the Army. The company previously completed tests of a solid fuel ramjet engine configuration under the first phase of the XM1155 Extended-Range Artillery Projectile programme, which validated gun-launched survivability and pointed to ranges beyond 100 kilometres. XRC applies the same family of technology to a different problem: a missile aimed at drones instead of a projectile aimed at ground targets.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Why Standoff Range Matters Against Drones

The push for a longer-range answer to small drones reflects cost as much as reach. Army leaders have been looking for ways to stop cheap unmanned aircraft without spending six-figure interceptors on each one, a tension already visible in the Pentagon’s search for a cheaper interceptor to relieve pressure on Patriot. Directed energy is another track, including the Pentagon’s year-long laser counter-drone test at five US bases.

Range also buys time and coverage. A vehicle that can engage a drone from farther away has more time to react and can defend a larger area with the same number of launchers. That reading is analysis, not a company claim. Northrop Grumman has not said what a production XRC missile might cost or how far it will fly.

Solid Fuel Ramjet and XRC FAQ

What is XRC?

XRC stands for Extended-Range Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System, an Army science and technology programme to develop longer-range kinetic interceptors against small drones.

How much is the Northrop Grumman XRC contract worth?

$18.8 million, to develop and integrate solid fuel ramjet propulsion for XRC missile prototypes.

What is a solid fuel ramjet?

An air-breathing engine that burns solid fuel cast in the combustion chamber using oxygen from the air, so the missile does not carry an oxidiser.

Why do ramjets need a booster?

A ramjet makes almost no thrust at low speed, so a booster accelerates the missile to operating speed before the ramjet takes over.

Is XRC the same as the Army’s NGCM programme?

No. The Army has described NGCM as a separately defined initiative. NGCM is a low-cost missile with a target price under $150,000, while XRC is a science and technology effort focused on ramjet propulsion and range.