US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transports deploying flares over the Nevada desert

SRC Ghost Mantis Picked for USAF Large Aircraft Missile Warning

by Joseph Duncan | Oct 3, 2026 | Militärische Luftfahrt, Nachricht | 0 comments

Tankers, airlifters and airborne radar aircraft are big, slow and impossible to hide. They are also, increasingly, the targets that very-long-range air-to-air missiles are built to kill. On 1 October the US Air Force moved to give them a better chance of seeing one coming.

New York-based defence company SRC Inc. announced that its Ghost Mantis Gen 3 sensor has been selected for a prototype of the Large Aircraft Survivability System, or LASS, under a $37 million agreement with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

The goal is simple to state and hard to achieve: detect and track long-range missile threats early enough for a large aircraft to do something about them.

Kurzinfo

Programm: Large Aircraft Survivability System (LASS) prototype
Contractor: SRC Inc.
Technologie: Ghost Mantis Gen 3 multi-function aperture sensor, with SRC's Agile Condor airborne processor
Value: $37 million, Other Transaction Agreement
Kunde: US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
Intended users: Mobility Air Forces and other high-value aircraft
Angekündigt: 1 October 2026

What SRC is building

According to SRC, Ghost Mantis Gen 3 is a multi-function aperture sensor designed for airborne detection and tracking of long-range missile threats. It will be paired with SRC's Agile Condor, a high-performance airborne processor, for the prototype evaluations.

“Aircraft survivability increasingly depends on the ability to detect, identify and respond to threats at extended ranges.”

Kevin Hair — President and CEO of SRC Inc., in the company's announcement

SRC did not name the aircraft that will carry the prototypes. The company said the work is intended for the Air Force's Mobility Air Forces, the tankers and transports of Air Mobility Command, and other high-value airborne platforms.

US Air Force KC-46 Pegasus tanker with its refuelling boom extended — A KC-46 Pegasus tanker. Mobility aircraft like this are what LASS is meant to protect. U.S. Air Force photo

Why tankers need eyes

Existing defensive systems on large military aircraft were designed mainly around shorter-range threats such as shoulder-fired and other infrared-guided missiles near airfields. The worry now is different: missiles fired from fighters far beyond visual range at aircraft that orbit well behind the front line.

China has been developing very-long-range air-to-air missiles, and FlightGlobal reported that the LASS contract reflects concern about those investments. A tanker or airborne early warning aircraft that cannot see such a missile coming has few options. One that can may at least turn away, descend or deploy countermeasures.

It is the second time in a week that missile warning has made headlines in the US Air Force. The service has also asked industry for a missile warning system for the F-15EX, which was bought without one.

Was geschieht als Nächstes?

An Other Transaction Agreement is a fast, flexible prototyping contract, not a production order. The Air Force will evaluate Ghost Mantis in the LASS prototype work before deciding what to field and on which aircraft.

For the crews of tankers and transports, many of whom fly unarmed into contested airspace to keep fighters in the air, the outcome matters. Every fighter mission over the Pacific would depend on the tankers surviving long enough to refuel it.

Sources: SRC Inc., FlightGlobal, Military Embedded Systems

Häufig gestellte Fragen

What is the Large Aircraft Survivability System?

The Large Aircraft Survivability System (LASS) is a US Air Force effort to give tankers, transports and other large, high-value aircraft the ability to detect and track long-range missile threats. In October 2026 SRC Inc. was selected to provide its Ghost Mantis Gen 3 sensor for a LASS prototype.

What is SRC Ghost Mantis?

Ghost Mantis Gen 3 is a multi-function aperture sensor from SRC Inc. designed for airborne detection and tracking of long-range missile threats. For the LASS prototype it is paired with SRC's Agile Condor airborne processor.

How much is the SRC LASS contract worth?

SRC said the Other Transaction Agreement with the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is worth $37 million. It covers prototype development and integration, not production.

Which aircraft will get LASS?

SRC has not named specific aircraft. The company said the work is intended for the US Air Force's Mobility Air Forces, its tankers and transports, and other high-value airborne platforms.

Why do tankers need missile warning?

Tankers and airborne radar aircraft are large and easy to detect, and very-long-range air-to-air missiles are designed to hit them from far away. Early warning gives the crew time to manoeuvre or use countermeasures.