Lockheed’s MAKO: CFD at the edge
Lockheed’s new MAKO hypersonic missile showcases novel intake geometries, advanced thermal management and widespread use of adaptive mesh and multi‑physics CFD in design. The coverage stresses cross‑functional teams—CFD, materials and controls—now standard on hypersonic programs. (youtube.com)
Mako measures roughly 13 feet long, 13 inches in diameter and weighs about 1,300 pounds, and Lockheed reports the airframe has been fit-checked externally on F-35, F/A-18, F-16, F-15 and P-8 platforms and internally on F-22 and F-35C weapons bays. (lockheedmartin.com) Work on the program began in 2017 and Lockheed says Mako has been under exclusive development for seven years; the effort drew roughly $35 million across SiAW-associated development contracts. (lockheedmartin.com) Lockheed describes Mako as one of its first missiles designed entirely inside a digital engineering ecosystem with model‑based systems engineering driving traceability from design through producibility. (lockheedmartin.com) Lockheed has leaned on additive manufacturing to speed production and reduce part-counts, specifically citing 3D‑printed guidance housings and fins as producibility enablers for a mass‑producible, salvo-capable concept. (metal-am.com) The missile was unveiled publicly at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space 2024 exposition in partnership with CoAspire, where Lockheed’s booth imagery showed concept launches from internal and external F‑35 mounts. (navalnews.com) Lockheed and trade coverage state all subsystems are customer‑validated at TRL 6 or higher and independent reporting describes the design as at a readiness level “6 plus,” with modular 60‑kilogram warhead options reported in press coverage. (lockheedmartin.com)
