Hypersonic missile programme gears up for PDR
Australia and the US signed a collaborative agreement in late 2020 to develop and test hypersonic cruise missile prototypes under the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE).
Australian-US SCIFiRE programme aims to result in a precision strike missile capable of travelling at Mach 5.
The USAF has awarded Raytheon a $27.99 million contract modification in connection with the Phase I Preliminary Design Review (PDR) in the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE) long-range hypersonic missile programme.
In completing the PDR by 2 September 2022 at Tuscon, Arizona, Raytheon will ‘mature a solid rocket-boosted, air-breathing, hypersonic conventional cruise missile, air-launched from existing fighter/bomber aircraft’, the DoD noted on 3 September.
SCIFiRE is a collaborative effort between Australia and the US, with the two governments signing a deal in November 2020 to develop and test full-sized hypersonic cruise missile prototypes.
In particular, the R&D programme is intended to result in a precision strike missile capable of travelling at Mach 5.
At the time, Shephard noted that Australia and the US have been collaborating on R&D relating to hypersonic scramjets, rocket motors, sensors and advanced manufacturing materials for more than 15 years.
More from Air Warfare
-
![M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force]()
M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force
The Leonardo M-345 High-Efficiency Trainer (HET) basic/advanced trainer is similar to the M-346, which is the second part of the Italian Air Force’s training system, but is a substantially smaller and less powerful aircraft.
-
![Belgium’s F-35A order progresses at it awaits first jet delivery by late 2025]()
Belgium’s F-35A order progresses at it awaits first jet delivery by late 2025
The first aircraft delivery timeline confirmation comes as Belgium weighs up an additional F-3A buy from Lockheed Martin.
-
![Trump’s drone directives win US industry support but questions remain over ability to challenge Chinese market dominance]()
Trump’s drone directives win US industry support but questions remain over ability to challenge Chinese market dominance
New presidential directives for UAV production are intended to remove bureaucratic barriers and support suppliers.
-
![Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training]()
Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training
In Conversation... Shephard's Gerrard Cowan talks to CAE's Marc-Olivier Sabourin about how the training and simulation industry can help militaries achieve essential levels of readiness by leveraging new technology, innovative procurement methods and a truly collaborative approach.
-
![Paris Air Show 2025: Airbus Helicopters unveils new crewed-uncrewed teaming solution]()
Paris Air Show 2025: Airbus Helicopters unveils new crewed-uncrewed teaming solution
The solution, named HTeaming, has already been tested in flight with a Spanish Navy H135 helicopter and an Airbus Flexrotor uncrewed aerial system (UAS).
