ARRW to undergo long-awaited first booster test
The Armament Directorate in the USAF Life Cycle Management Center announced on 5 March that the first booster test flight (BTF-1) of the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) is expected ‘in the next 30 days’.
The ARRW test missile was delivered to Edwards Air Force Base on 1 March for loading on a B-52H Stratofortress.
Work is under way on pre-flight ground tests ‘and checks to obtain certification for the flight to proceed as scheduled’, the USAF added.
BTF-1 was originally scheduled for December 2020 before being pushed back to the first week of March 2021. No official explanation was given as to why the test launch has been repeatedly delayed.
Meanwhile, the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate in the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) awarded SpaceX an $8.5 million manufacturing research contract for hypersonic vehicle thermal shields.
‘The objective is to refine thermal protection system manufacturing technologies to enable low-cost, high volume production of next-generation thermal protection systems,’ according to the contract notice.
SpaceX is already expanding heat shield production facilities for its Starship reusable launch vehicle.
The AFRL aims to test additive manufacturing and other advanced techniques for hypersonic air and space vehicles, to see if they can shield them from the extreme heat generated in ballistic re-entry.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
More from Air Warfare
-
DSEI 2025: New AR3 EVO puts Tekever’s modularity ambitions under the spotlight
An evolution of the Tekever AR3, the AR3 EVO that broke cover at DSEI incorporates the thousands of incremental evolutions the company has implemented through its spiral development, geared towards delivering a constant stream of improved aircraft to Ukraine.
-
DSEI 2025: Schiebel reveals two weaponised Camcopter UAVs
The new capabilities are based on platforms already in use or in development, and are designed to perform in demanding defence missions.
-
DSEI 2025: GCAP Electronics Evolution emerges as new consortium for 6th-gen programme
The consortium, known as G2E, is formed of four leading national defence electronics companies: Mitsubishi for Japan, Leonardo UK for the UK and both Leonardo and ELT Group for Italy.
-
DSEI 2025: BAE Systems FalconWorks and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to collaborate on new UAV range
The uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) will start off in the electronic warfare space, according to the companies, to support existing crewed frontline platforms, with many major details still to be disclosed.
-
DSEI 2025: MGI Engineering launches new deep strike OWE TigerShark
The British-built long-range strike one-way effector (OWE) is the latest offering from the company, which demonstrated its smaller OWE SkyShark in July.