# US-Australia long-range strike cooperation

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-australia-long-range-strike-cooperation
> Updated: 2026-10-08T13:55:45.000Z. Sources: 11. Developments: 3.

The United States and Australia are advancing joint long-range strike capabilities through various missile integration and testing programs.

In September 2026, the Royal Australian Air Force declared Initial Operational Capability for U.S.-made AGM-158C LRASM anti-ship missiles and AGM-158B JASSM-ER land-attack missiles on F/A-18F Super Hornet jets. This capability, acquired via U.S. Foreign Military Sales, aims to expand allied stand-off strike capacity in the Indo-Pacific.

By October 2026, collaborative efforts expanded to hypersonic technology. Under the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE), the U.S. and Australian air forces successfully conducted a flight test of the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) over an Australian test range. The HACM, developed by Raytheon (RTX) and Northrop Grumman, utilizes a two-stage design with a rocket booster and a scramjet-powered cruise stage.

Despite the successful test, the HACM program faces significant schedule and fiscal pressures. Originally slated for earlier testing, the timeline has shifted, and development costs have reportedly exceeded $985 million. To meet acquisition goals for fiscal year 2027, the U.S. Air Force has proposed reducing the number of planned flight tests from seven to five. This reduction in testing frequency introduces risk, as any major failure could jeopardize the program’s delivery objectives and uncertain timeline.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-08: United States advances hypersonic weapon development and testing

The U.S. is expanding its hypersonic strike capabilities through a new common glide body program and successful HACM missile testing in Australia with the Royal Australian Air Force.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/united-states-advances-hypersonic-weapon-development-and-testing

### 2026-10-05: U.S. Air Force tests hypersonic cruise missile in Australia

The U.S. Air Force and Australia have conducted the first flight test release of the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) to advance long-range strike capabilities.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-air-force-tests-hypersonic-cruise-missile-in-australia

### 2026-09-12: Australia deploys U.S. long-range missiles on F/A-18F jets

Australia has declared operational capability for U.S.-made LRASM and JASSM-ER missiles on its F/A-18F Super Hornets, enhancing long-range strike capacity against land and sea targets.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/australia-deploys-us-long-range-missiles-on-fa-18f-jets

---
Cite as: US-Australia long-range strike cooperation. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-australia-long-range-strike-cooperation