The U.S. Air Force’s developmental AGM-190A Havoc Spear cruise missile has passed its first live combat evaluation and is now cleared for broader use across special operations and conventional aircraft, Air Force Special Operations Command announced.
The missile was launched from a C-130 aircraft in a test configuration during a spring 2026 operation under U.S. Africa Command. Officials said the missile performed accurately and met AFSOC’s requirements for a small cruise missile, clearing the way for wider fielding.
AFSOC first publicly revealed the missile’s name in May 2026 at the Special Operations Forces Week conference in Tampa, Florida, where officials described it as capable of delivering long-range precision strikes with both kinetic and non-kinetic effects.
The Havoc Spear is designed to be modular and mission-adaptable, allowing operators to configure it for different targets or effects. The design is intended to keep production costs and timelines down compared with older cruise missiles.
Development skipped much of the traditional acquisition process. U.S. Special Operations Command led the effort on AFSOC’s behalf using a cooperative research and development agreement, or CRADA, with an industry partner rather than a standard program of record. That approach allowed the missile to move from design through combat testing in under three years, compared with the five to seven years such programs typically take.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Conley said the missile’s range and capabilities expand standoff options, giving commanders a versatile tool to neutralize threats without putting platforms or personnel in immediate danger. “It’s also not lost on us the value of being able to test a new weapon system in combat, and prove its success on the battlefield early on in the process,” Conley said.
The decision to run the evaluation through AFRICOM ties the missile’s early record to one of the U.S. military’s key counterterrorism theaters. “We work every day to disrupt the networks that have made Africa the epicenter of global terrorism,” said U.S. Air Force Gen. … “These successful operational assessments prove we will continue to bring the unique capabilities only the U.S. …”
Air Force Col. Robert Johnston, AFSOC director of strategic plans, programs and requirements, also commented on the milestone.
AFSOC has not disclosed the missile’s cost, its production rate, or which aircraft beyond the C-130 used in the AFRICOM evaluation will carry Havoc Spear as it moves toward wider use.
Sources: Defence Blog · DVIDS News