The US Air Force's Rapid Dragon program is set to pose a new threat to adversaries by transforming cargo aircraft into platforms capable of launching long-range cruise missiles.

Rapid Dragon gives the cargo aircraft fleet the ability to drop long-range weapons, expanding the number of strike-capable aircraft in the arsenal.

Developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation office, Rapid Dragon is a palletized and disposable weapon module that enables unmodified cargo aircraft to deploy flying, typically cruise, munitions.

The module -- a "deployment box" -- is airdropped to deploy flying munitions such as the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) from an unmodified cargo plane like a C-130 or C-17.

Each box can carry up to six missiles and is stabilized by parachutes shortly after deployment of the Rapid Dragon system into the target area.

One of the key advantages of the JASSM, a low-observable standoff air-launched cruise missile, is its standoff capability, which allows it to strike targets from a safe distance without exposing the launching aircraft to enemy defenses.

The program was first launched in 2019, and low-level production began in 2022.

Increased utility

In November 2022, two Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) wings partnered to conduct the first live-fire demonstration of Rapid Dragon, deploying over the Atlantic in the US European Command area of responsibility, according to the Air Force.

The exercise, conducted during Exercise Atreus 22-4, saw two MC-130J Commando IIs fly and deploy the Rapid Dragon package.

Chinese analysts had mixed responses to the exercise, according to an analysis of Chinese media reports from the Jamestown Foundation.

Immediately after the exercises, the Chinese People's Liberation Army published an article in November 2022 expressing skepticism over the program's usefulness or feasibility.

But soon thereafter, other articles acknowledged the threat posed by Rapid Dragon. They noted the speedy development of the program, the large number of missiles the aircraft could carry, its cost effectiveness and its ability to confuse US enemies.

Rapid Dragon also could provide US allies a new key capability.

"It's really easily exportable to our partners and allies around the globe that may want to increase the utility of their air force," AFSOC commander Lt. Gen. Jim Slife said in 2022.

"When you look at partner capability, we have a lot of partners around the globe that don't have heavy bomber-type platforms that would be traditional carriers of those types of munitions, but they've got plenty of C-130s," he said.

Some 70 countries operate the C-130 Hercules aircraft, according to its manufacturer.