AFSOC unveils 'Havoc Spear' cruise missile at SOF Week
NewsMay 19, 2026
TAMPA, Florida. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) officially unveiled the name of the AGM-190A small cruise missile as "Havoc Spear" at SOF Week 2026 on May 19, marking a milestone in the command's Enhanced Precision Effects (EPE) modernization initiative, the command announced in a statement.
Havoc Spear is intended to be a low-cost, modular, mission-adaptable cruise missile that can be rapidly produced and is capable of delivering long-range precision kinetic and non-kinetic effects. The name was chosen by Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink during a visit to AFSOC headquarters last November, combining "Havoc" -- representing widespread destruction via mass attack -- and "Spear," denoting precision targeting from standoff range, the statement notes.
AFSOC and USSOCOM executed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with an industry partner to accelerate development of Havoc Spear, compressing a process that typically takes five to seven years into under three, moving from design through testing and combat evaluation in less than three years, the command says.
USSOCOM commander Adm. Frank Bradley cited the program in his SOF Week keynote as a model for the kind of acquisition speed the command is pursuing: "The technology was there, what we needed was the venue to move fast and take calculated, manageable risks," he said. "It is that exact DNA -- that operator-to-engineer feedback loop -- that is now scaling across the Joint Force."
"The primary value of this system is its modularity, which provides expanded standoff options for commanders to neutralize a range of threats," said Lt. Gen. Mike Conley, commander of AFSOC. "Our modernization efforts with EPE will integrate all-domain effects across our platforms, firmly planting special operations forces into the Joint Force kill chain."
AFSOC plans to leverage Havoc Spear's adaptable strike capabilities across USSOCOM and broader Air Force missions, with the command saying the system is designed to create dilemmas for adversaries.
