Reverse Engineering the AGM-158C for Adaptation to Multidomain Operation
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Date
2025-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
In a 2008 Request for Proposal, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), sought a vehicle which operates in low-medium altitude flight and in submergence. The capability of approaching a target from the air or sea domain and transitioning between said domains may provide redundancy against detection and tracking in each individual domain. As advances in anti-aircraft and anti-submersible capability increase respectively, the innate advantages of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be exploited for a modern mission profile. Due to its proven functionality, low observability, and large size, this research focuses on adapting the Lockheed Martin AGM-158C LRASM cruise missile to the aforementioned profile. To adapt this missile to a multidomain mission, it must first be reverse engineered. The missile shell was modeled utilizing photogrammetry on CAD software SolidWorks. As the missile must operate in multiple fluids, the shell was input into fluid simulation software Ansys Fluent to compare fluid performance. The coefficient of frontal/form drag was obtained in air and water across the multidomain mission profile and used to calculate a force of drag and subsequent propulsive force of the missile. The missile’s internal components, such as the engine and fuel, were extrapolated utilizing substantiated publicly available information, and when necessary, from similar platforms. The results of reverse engineering the AGM-158C indicate a fuselage which can accommodate a sufficient mass and volume increase of additional hardware, beyond the stock missile’s systems, via a reduction in payload and fuel. The fluid simulations of the shell provide the frontal drag coefficient of the AGM-158C across its operational profile. These drag coefficients align with, and are substantiated by, comparable missiles such as the BGM-109 Tomahawk and a NASA cruise missile model, with the AGM-158C showing lower drag in air. This research continues to imply that the AGM-158C may be capable of adaptation to multidomain operation. Continued research may produce a completely new category of military platform. A vehicle which can indeed operate in air and submerged may present cost savings, strategic advantages, and an additional deterrent to the U.S. DoD.
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Keywords
AGM-158, LRASM, Multidomain