U.S. Navy Invests in Compact F-35 Fighter Missile and Quad-Pack Naval Interceptor for Higher Loadout.

The U.S. Navy is advancing two new missile families for combat aircraft and surface ships, with the Compact Air-to-Air Missile and Naval Modular Missile intended to increase the number of weapons available within existing aircraft and shipboard launch constraints. The effort matters because both programs are focused on combining missile performance with higher weapon capacity and production methods suited to larger-scale output.

The U.S. Navy is moving ahead with the Compact Air-to-Air Missile for combat aircraft and the Naval Modular Missile for surface vessels as part of an effort to increase available firepower without expanding existing internal or shipboard launch space. CAAM is being designed around a reduced physical footprint, while NMM is intended to use available launcher volume more efficiently. Both programs also place emphasis on production scalability alongside operational performance.

Related News: U.S. Navy Reveals Naval Modular Missile Architecture for Future Air Defense Interceptors

A U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey illustrate the air and sea launch environments targeted by the Compact Air-to-Air Missile and Naval Modular Missile programs. (Picture source: US DoD)

The contracts awarded so far are not orders for operational missiles. They cover the development and qualification of solid rocket motors, an important stage before any transition toward serial production. This distinction matters because neither final procurement quantities nor service-entry dates have been announced for either weapon. CAAM and NMM therefore remain development programs, although their propulsion systems are moving into a more advanced phase.

On October 5, 2026, Ursa Major announced that it had received two U.S. Navy contracts worth a combined $137 million. The first, valued at $91 million, covers the CAAM rocket motor, while the second provides $46 million for the motor intended for the medium-range Quad-Pack version of the Naval Modular Missile. According to Ursa Major’s original announcement, both contracts are funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of War and rely on the company’s Lynx industrial approach, which combines additive manufacturing, energetic materials development and production methods designed from the outset for larger-scale manufacturing.

For CAAM, Ursa Major is developing a seven-inch-diameter solid rocket motor, equivalent to about 178 mm. The motor is intended to provide the required performance within a tightly constrained volume and uses a Highly Loaded Grain, or HLG, architecture designed to increase the amount of usable propellant within the available space. The company says the same manufacturing methods are expected to be used during development and any future series production, limiting the need for major industrial changes after qualification.

The existence of CAAM is also confirmed in official U.S. Navy budget documents for fiscal year 2027. The research and development justification book explicitly refers to the Compact Air-to-Air Missile project and states that warhead selection forms part of work conducted during fiscal year 2026. These documents show that the program predates the propulsion contract awarded to Ursa Major and is not simply an industrial concept proposed by the motor manufacturer.

The U.S. Navy also presented CAAM in August 2026 as a future “inner boundary” weapon intended for short-range air-to-air engagements when a target penetrates deep into the combat envelope. At the time, the program was still undergoing requirements assessment by the Air Warfare N98 division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. One stated objective was to increase internal weapon capacity on low-observable aircraft. The F-35 is directly relevant in this context because maintaining weapons inside its internal bays is a central factor in preserving the aircraft’s low radar signature.

The Naval Modular Missile addresses a similar constraint aboard surface combatants. Ursa Major is expected to provide a ten-inch-diameter motor designed for high-rate production and integration with existing U.S. Navy launch systems. The Quad-Pack designation indicates that the medium-range version is structured around increasing the number of interceptors that can be accommodated within a limited launcher volume. The objective is therefore not only to introduce a new missile, but also to increase the number of engagements that can be conducted before the ship’s available magazine is depleted.

This approach has particular relevance in high-intensity operations. For an F-35, each additional missile carried internally allows the aircraft to preserve its low-observable configuration while increasing the number of engagements available before rearming. A destroyer faces a comparable limitation because the number of vertical launch cells is fixed and reloading them during an operational deployment remains difficult. More compact interceptors could therefore allow fewer cells to be allocated to medium-range air defense while keeping a larger number of weapons immediately available for use.

The contracts also reflect U.S. efforts to expand industrial capacity in the solid rocket motor sector. In February 2026, Ursa Major completed a $25 million program with the U.S. Navy and the Office of Strategic Capital that included the design, manufacture and static testing of a ten-inch HLG motor, as well as the development of a proprietary propellant. The work was carried out with Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake and Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division. In July, the Navy also awarded Ursa Major $10 million to continue development of an MK 104 motor intended for the Standard Missile family.

From a strategic perspective, CAAM and NMM reflect a shift in U.S. priorities toward forces able to sustain more engagements despite fixed internal volumes and a limited number of launch cells. This logic is directly relevant to prolonged conflict scenarios in the Indo-Pacific, where U.S. forces could face repeated air and missile attacks, as well as to lessons from the war in Ukraine and confrontation with Iran regarding the rapid consumption of interceptor inventories. The issue is therefore not limited to the range or speed of a new missile. It also concerns the ability to manufacture enough motors and carry more ready-to-use weapons when they are required.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests include security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.

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