The US Air Force has issued a Request for Information for the Family of Affordable Mass Missiles, Beyond Adversary’s Reach (FAMM-BAR), seeking industry partners to develop a low-cost, long-range air-to-surface cruise missile launchable from cargo aircraft.
Issued on April 17, 2026, by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Armament Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base, the RFI requires responses by April 29, 2026. The missile must offer at least 1,000 nautical miles of range, cruise at Mach 0.7 or higher, support mid-course navigation updates, and enable palletized deployment from cargo aircraft like the C-17 or C-130. Production targets include 1,000 to 2,000 units annually over five years for US government and Foreign Military Sales inventories.
Initial focus is on slow-moving maritime targets, with palletized launch as the primary method, though the RFI explores adaptations for lugged carriage on fighters or other aircraft, and potential surface-to-surface use by Army and Navy systems. FAMM-BAR extends the Air Force’s Family of Affordable Mass Missiles lineup, which includes shorter-range FAMM-P for palletized cargo launches and FAMM-L for fighters and bombers, both with 250-500 nautical mile ranges.
This effort builds on demonstrations like the Rapid Dragon program, which tested palletized cruise missile launches from a C-17 in 2021 and an MC-130J in 2022. Air Force fiscal 2027 budget documents request $300 million mandatory and $55 million discretionary funding for 1,000 FAMM missiles, with active vendors including Anduril, CoAspire, and Zone 5 for lugged configurations. Brig. Gen. Robert Lyons described FAMM programs as enabling rapid production to expand munitions stockpiles and provide more options to combatant commanders.