The Rapid Dragon program, now called Dragon Cart, transitioned to a Program of Record and will see cargo aircraft able to deploy palletized cruise missiles by 2027.
The U.S. Air Force’s Rapid Dragon program is now an official Program of Record (PoR), the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) announced on Apr. 30, 2026. A PoR status means the system has been formally approved by the government and guarantees Congressional funding allocation in future budgets.
Rapid Dragon saw the Air Force using cargo aircraft such as the C-130J Hercules and its derivatives, and the C-17 Globemaster III to conduct ‘palletized launches’ of masses of standoff surface strike missiles. The project has now been designated as Dragon Cart after transferring oversight from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to the AFLCMC.
The system is expected to be fielded by 2027, using the Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) – Rapid Fielding route. The AFLCMC also named the Family of Affordable Mass Munitions (FAMM)-series of missiles, developed under the Extended Range Attack Munition Initiative (ERAM), as the weapons of choice for Dragon Cart.
The Zone 5 Technologies Rusty Dagger and Co-Aspire’s Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile (RAACM) were birthed under the FAMM/ERAM program. The former was put through a series of live-warhead and integration trials with an F-16 in January and March 2026, respectively.
As of May 2026, the Rapid Dragon palletized munition system is undergoing a transition from development to a formal program of record named Dragon Cart, with expected operational fielding in 2027.
It will revolutionize the way the USAF approaches precision targeting from day 1 pic.twitter.com/sI0TY3RSsH
— Sean Knaub (@SKnaub77323) May 8, 2026
The FAMM program also has now itself evolved to the FAMM-Beyond Adversary Reach (BAR) procurement. An Apr. 20, 2026, AFLCMC Request for Information seeks companies that can design and manufacture FAMM weapons to be launched both lugged and palletized and meet production orders of 1,000-2,000 missiles a year for the U.S. government and foreign buyers.
Dragon Cart is now a PoR
The original Rapid Dragon palletized munitions program has been tested multiple times using surrogate missiles and live units of the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER). The service said that Dragon Cart “builds on lessons learned from the experimental campaign.”
Members of Polish Air Force, US Air Forces in Europe-Air Force Africa, and US Special Operations Command Europe conduct palletized precision effects cargo training onto a Polish C-130 Hercules on Nov. 8 in Powidz, Poland. Are those Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles? pic.twitter.com/OKH8MdQg0b
— Ryan Chan 陳家翹 (@ryankakiuchan) November 9, 2022
The AFLCMC said the Dragon Cart’s strength lies in being able to leverage existing “standard airlift inventory and airdrop equipment” and a U.S. government-owned Battle Management System. This allows the kinetic systems like the FAMM and the JASSM in the palletized configurations “to be rolled onto an airlift aircraft, dropped out the back, and dispensed in mid-air around the globe.”
Dragon Cart’s program manager JiaJia Lee said the concept offers “operational ambiguity, adversary deterrence and additional command options to maximize operational effects.” Lee further said that this “gives us the option to transform mobility aircraft into powerful strike platforms, unlocking capabilities we wouldn’t normally have in how we employ our airlift fleet.”
Dragon Cart also rapidly transitioned to a Program of Record because of the emphasis of government control over the weapons data and technology, unlike other legacy defense procurement programs. System engineering program manager Kent Mueller stressed upon the Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach that aids rapid modifications to the FAMM’s design to accommodate new payloads.
“Because we own the engineering, if a new payload needs a launch module that is slightly longer, we just model it, do the load path analysis, and send that model to our production vendors,” said Mueller.
#BREAKING video from 352nd Special Operations Wing successful test fire of a palletized Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM). Successful extraction of deployment box, release of JASSM with wing extension, and motor engagement during exercise #ATREUS22 #SOFinEurope pic.twitter.com/3hLcXDJ3bl
— US Spec Ops Europe (@US_SOCEUR) November 9, 2022
The service also explained that, “by assembling proven, existing technologies in novel ways and maintaining strict control over the digital architecture, the program office has eliminated traditional roadblocks, aiding rapid scaling and future upgrades.”
Interestingly, Air Force had previously said that the program’s name is derived from “a 1,000-year-old Chinese military designed crossbow catapult that launched multiple crossbow bolts with the pull of a single trigger, raining destruction down from tremendous ranges.” These weapons were called Ji Long Che – Rapid Dragon Carts.
Rapid Dragon and palletized launches
One trial over the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, in August 2021 saw the representative missile being released from the cargo hold of a C-17A Globemaster III and an EC-130SJ. Another test in December 2021 at Eglin AFB, Florida, saw an MC-130J Commando II airdropping a four-cell Rapid Dragon deployment system containing the Flight Test Vehicles (FTVs) and three mass simulants, upon receiving targeting data and uploading that into the FTV.
A third test in November 2022 saw an MC-130J Commando II from the 352nd Special Operations Wing (352nd SOW) deploying one such pallet over the Norwegian Sea. A JASSM-ER successfully exited the pallet and began its powered flight.
Regarding the program’s future, the Apr. 20 AFLCMC RFI said: “The program office seeks to streamline the battlespace by developing a single, common, air-to-surface munition that is affordable, adaptable, and possesses significant standoff range. The core concept is a singular design that allows for the primary deployment method via Palletized: For long-range strike from cargo aircraft. The Government is also presenting trade space for a secondary deployment method from the same singular design via Lugged: For long-range employment on fighter and additional aircraft.”
Other industry leaders have also developed their own cost-effective, scalable palletized-launch air-to-ground missiles. These include Leidos’ Black Arrow, which the Air Force designated as the AGM-190A in February, and Lockheed Martin’s Common Multi-Mission Truck (CMMT). The CMMT has an unpowered glide-vehicle called CMMT-D and a smaller powered variant called CMMT-X.
