The U.S. Air Force wants to arm cargo and tanker aircraft with new weapons capable of intercepting inbound missiles and drones, and it’s aiming to invest half a billion dollars to bring this concept to fruition.
This new program, dubbed the “Large Aircraft Survivability Systems,” or LASS, aims to equip America’s currently unarmed tankers, the KC-135 and KC-46, as well as vital logistics platforms like the C-17 and C-5, with a variety of external sensors.
These sensors will be integrated via onboard processors with both kinetic and non-kinetic effectors allowing them to identify inbound threats and relay their target track to either onboard electronic warfare systems or to interceptors of some sort that can then be launched to bring that threat down.
The budgeting document does not mince words regarding the capabilities the Air Force is looking for, saying, “Large aircraft must have the ability to detect, decide, and defeat the enemy threats organically from onboard the aircraft.”
Initially, the Air Force is looking to invest about $50 million into developing that onboard sensor suite in 2027, with another $18 million allocated to design potential effectors. It plans to continue to ramp up funding through 2031 for a total program cost of about $508 million over the next five years. While the total cost might seem high, it is actually less than that of a single E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, so the potential return on investment is significant.
There are no details available as to what kinds of effectors LASS might employ to protect aircraft, but there are a few known programs that might fit the bill.
Non-kinetic effectors usually fall within the scope of electronic warfare capabilities; they might include systems like the ALE-55 Fiber Optic Towed Decoy which trails behind the aircraft to suppress, deflect, and seduce inbound weapons. It does this by jamming radar-guided weapons, spoofing them with false signals, and then finally, presenting itself as a big target for the weapon to go after.
There are also even smaller systems like Britecloud, which is a small radio frequency decoy that can be launched from existing flare-and-chaff dispensers.
However, the most interesting element of the LASS program is the idea of using kinetic effectors to intercept inbound missiles. That is no small undertaking, but is theoretically possible.
One option, depending on the nature of that inbound threat, might be a platform like DARPA’s X-68A Longshot, which has been described by its manufacturer, General Atomics, as an air-launched fighter. Longshot was designed to dramatically extend the reach of its onboard payload of two AIM-120 AMRAAM radar-guided air-to-air missiles, but they could just as feasibly be launched to escort a tanker, cargo plane, or bomber at the first signs of trouble.
But it might be more likely that we see some iteration of a weapon like the Miniature Self Defense Munition (MSDM) that has been in the works at the Air Force Research Lab since about 2015. These highly agile mini-missiles are said to be around 3.3 feet long, or about one-third the length of a Sidewinder, with a solid rocket motor for propulsion and a low-cost infrared seeker for guidance. When last we heard in 2020, Raytheon had been given a contract to continue R&D toward a flight-test-ready article.
And as The Warzone has reported, Northrop Grumman also filed a patent for a similar kinetic missile defense system in 2017, which shares some of the language found in the LASS contrasting documents.
The LASS program appears to be in addition to the Northrop Grumman-led Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure system that’s already making its way into service.
Northrop’s system is oriented specifically at mitigating threats posed by the kinds of infrared-guided missiles employed by Iran throughout Operation Epic Fury. The system includes a high-powered directed energy turret that dazzles or obstructs the infrared sensor on inbound heat-seeking weapons, causing them to lose target track.
LASS, on the other hand, seems oriented more toward higher-end threats like long-range, radar-guided surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles, and various kinds of drones.
While the LASS program currently focuses on refueling tankers and cargo planes, a modular air defense system of this sort would very likely find its way into other aircraft, like the aforementioned E-7 Wedgetail, bombers like the B-52, and more.
Feature Image: Team McConnell relocates its fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-46A Pegasus’ ahead of potential severe weather at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, April 25, 2026. Aircraft were relocated to maintain full readiness in support of current and future tasked missions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tavian Sims)
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