The United States announced that they completed their second successful test flight of a hypersonic missile, touting the potential for 'next-generation capability' for the military. The test, conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force, was the first test of the Lockheed Martin version of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept, commonly known as HAWC. An earlier test, configured by a different company, took place in September.
DARPA and its U.S. Air Force partner recently completed a free flight test of the Lockheed Martin version of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC). The vehicle, after release from a carrier aircraft, was boosted to its Aerojet Rocketdyne scramjet engine ignition envelope. From there, it quickly accelerated to and maintained cruise faster than Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) for an extended period of time. The vehicle reached altitudes greater than 65,000 feet (19.8 km) and flew for more than 300 nautical miles (555 km).
darpa.mil
“This Lockheed Martin HAWC flight test successfully demonstrated a second design that will allow our warfighters to competitively select the right capabilities to dominate the battlefield,”
said Andrew “Tippy” Knoedler, HAWC program manager in DARPA's Tactical Technology Office.
“These achievements increase the level of technical maturity for transitioning HAWC to a service program of record. We are still analyzing flight test data, but are confident that we will provide the U.S. Air Force and Navy with excellent options to diversify the technology available for their future missions.”
Air-breathing vehicles utilize air captured from the atmosphere to achieve sustained propulsion. The speed and maneuverability of such hypersonic cruise missiles allow both evasion of defenses and quick strikes. Their kinetic energy can effectively destroy targets even without high explosives.
