The Air Force’s race to develop and field hypersonic weapons (and catch up to America’s rivals in that realm) suffered a setback during a flight test Monday when a booster failed to separate from the B-52 bomber on which it was mounted.
The AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon program had intended to test boosters at high altitude that are designed to bring a weapon to hypersonic speeds before disintegrating in the atmosphere. Hypersonic speed is defined as five times that of sound. Russia and China have made heavy investments in hypersonic weapons programs in recent decades, surpassing American development. The current effort is critical to the United States preventing its peer adversaries from having a battlefield edge.
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Modern hypersonic cruise missiles can travel up to 15 times the speed of sound and maneuver while in flight, making them difficult to counter. The U.S. hopes to add a hypersonic missile to its inventory in order to target high-value, heavily defended targets.
“While not launching was disappointing, the recent test provided invaluable information to learn from and continue ahead. This is why we test,” Brig. Gen. Heath Collins said in a Tuesday statement.
Lockheed Martin is working with the Air Force to develop the ARRW hypersonic weapon by Nov. 30 under a $480 million contract. The 419th Flight Test Squadron and the Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force, both located at Edwards Air Force Base, were involved in the testing.
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The ARRW was intended to undergo its eight test in March. Monday’s failure to separate means the weapon was retained and can be studied by engineers before attempting another test.
If tests and development continue on schedule, the Air Force expects the weapon to be fielded by the mid-2020s.
