US Air Force makes its choice on air-launched hypersonic missiles
A Northrop Grumman scramjet engine will power the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile from Raytheon. (Image: Northrop Grumman)
Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missiles will arm USAF fighters to deliver a standoff or near-standoff attack capability.
The USAF has chosen Raytheon and Northrop Grumman jointly to develop and deliver operationally ready air-launched Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missiles (HACMs) after awarding a $985 million contract on 22 September.
The Raytheon/Northrop Grumman proposal was selected ahead of designs from Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Derived from the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept demonstrator, HACM is a USAF programme of record that is also connected to the US-Australian Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE).
Northrop Grumman is providing the necessary scramjet technology into the hypersonic weapon itself, for which Raytheon is responsible.
The two partners have cooperated since 2019 on developing and producing an air-breathing hypersonic weapon powered by a scramjet.
You may also like
More from Air Warfare
-
![How do we detect and defeat enemy drones?]()
How do we detect and defeat enemy drones?
Learn about the portfolio of sensors and effectors for the complete counter-UAS mission at Raytheon, an RTX business.
-
![BAE Systems lauds counter-UAS drone progression with live fire trials]()
BAE Systems lauds counter-UAS drone progression with live fire trials
The US-based tests successfully demonstrated the first live trial of a precision guided missile from a modified TRV-150 drone which destroyed both aerial and ground targets.
-
![India readies private sector push as AMCA moves towards 2028 prototype]()
India readies private sector push as AMCA moves towards 2028 prototype
India’s stealth fighter ambitions gain fresh momentum as HAL opens the door to private sector involvement in AMCA Mk1A structural assembly, with strategic support growing for next-gen propulsion and sensor technologies.
-
![BAE Systems reveals new GCAP demonstrator design with plans to fly by 2027]()
BAE Systems reveals new GCAP demonstrator design with plans to fly by 2027
A key part in the trinational Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), this is the first crewed supersonic aircraft demonstrator to be built and developed in the UK in more than 40 years.
-
![Kratos Defense makes European CCA push with Airbus partnership]()
Kratos Defense makes European CCA push with Airbus partnership
Kratos’ XQ-58A Valkyrie will be equipped with an Airbus-made mission system to be offered as a ‘European’ collaborative combat aircraft option to the German Air Force.
-
![Anduril’s Barracuda-100M completes latest successful test flights]()
Anduril’s Barracuda-100M completes latest successful test flights
The munitions variant of the Barrauda-100 autonomous air vehicle is being tested for the US Army’s High-Speed Manoeuvrable Missile (HSMM) testbed programme, with further flight tests expected in 2026.
