U.S. Air Force AGM-190A "Havoc Spear" small cruise missile completes combat evaluation

The U.S. Air Force's AGM-190A "Havoc Spear" small cruise missile has completed its combat evaluation. (Picture taken from Leidos official website)

[Compiled by Chen Chengliang/Comprehensive Report] The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) announced on the 14th that the AGM-190A "Havoc Spear" small cruise missile has completed the 2026 spring combat evaluation and was confirmed to meet the requirements for small cruise missiles and can be further used by special warfare and conventional aircraft. AFSOC pointed out that this missile adopts a modular design and took less than three years from design, testing to combat evaluation.

According to information released by AFSOC, this assessment was conducted by AFSOC in cooperation with the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in the AFRICOM area of ​​responsibility. The AGM-190A was used from the Air Force special warfare platform in a test configuration and was found to be accurate and effective, meeting the requirements for small cruise missiles.

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The military news website "Defense Blog" reported that the design direction of the AGM-190A is to take into account longer range, lower cost and large portability, and to respond to different tasks through a modular architecture. When AFSOC first announced the name of the "Havoc Spear" in May this year, it also positioned it as a small cruise missile with low cost, high mission adaptability and rapid production.

Far enough, cheap enough, and able to be mounted in large quantities

The AGM-190A does not pursue a single performance limit, but hopes to simultaneously meet the three requirements of "far enough, cheap enough, and carry a large amount" to strike a balance between range, cost, and ammunition carrying capacity, so that the mounting platform can launch precise strikes beyond the distance of air defense threats, and increase combat flexibility through lower cost and larger carrying capacity.

The missile's development approach also differs from traditional arms programs. U.S. Special Operations Command took the lead in acquiring this weapon on behalf of AFSOC and signed a "Cooperative Research and Development Agreement" (CRADA) with industrial partners. The military and enterprises jointly promote design, testing and improvement, shortening the development time in a more flexible manner.

AFSOC pointed out that traditional weapons development plans usually take 5 to 7 years, while the Havoc Spear was designed, tested and received combat evaluation in less than 3 years. Colonel Robert Johnston, director of strategic planning, plans and requirements for the Air Force Special Warfare Command, said that the U.S. military cannot rely solely on traditional procurement processes and therefore seeks more flexible ways to accelerate modernization.

At present, the US military has not disclosed the cost of a single AGM-190A, its production speed, and which aircraft will be carried in the future. AFSOC stated that the Havoc Spear has met the requirements for wider practical use and will expand its use to special warfare and conventional aircraft in the next step.