During this test, an unidentified fighter jet carried the HAWC hypersonic missile system developed by Raytheon on its wing. After being launched, the HAWC rocket was gradually increased to supersonic speed with the help of a solid-fuel rocket engine. Later, Northrop Grumman’s jet engine, which relies on oxygen in the air instead of an oxygen tank, kicked in and allowed the system to reach supersonic speeds above Mach 5.
“All of the test’s objectives were met,” said DARPA, a key Pentagon research agency.
HAWC is a defense project to develop air-launched supersonic cruise missile technology.
“This test is a successful demonstration of our capabilities and will transform cruise missiles,” said Andrew Knoedler, HAWC program manager at DARPA’s Office of Combat Technology. super become a highly effective tool for our soldiers.”
Colin Whelan, vice president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon, called the test a “historic moment”, adding that “this success will facilitate the development of a high-range hypersonic system”. at a reasonable cost in the short term to strengthen national security”.
HAWC is one of the hypersonic weapons systems developed by the Pentagon. The AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) system failed twice during testing.
Supersonic weapons are a key area of competition between the US, Russia and China.
While still slower than ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles are faster than cruise missiles and they can travel with unpredictable flight paths, making them more likely to slip through enemy defenses. enemy.