DARPA and US Air Force complete second hypersonic weapon flight test
Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept. (Photo: Northrop Grumman)
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the USAF have completed the second flight test of the scramjet-powered Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC). The announcement was made by Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Northrop Grumman on 18 July.
This flight test applied the data and lessons from the first flight to mature the operationally relevant weapon concept design.
According to a press release by Northrop Grumman, the missile met all primary and secondary objectives, including demonstrating tactical-range capabilities.
During the flight test, after releasing the HAWC from an aircraft and accelerating to hypersonic speeds using the scramjet engine, the vehicle flew a trajectory designed to intentionally stress the weapon concept to explore its limits and further validate digital performance models.
‘These models, grounded in real-world flight data, are being used to accurately predict and increase performance as the system matures,’ the press release pointed out.
Northrop Grumman and Raytheon completed the first flight test of a scramjet-powered HAWC in September 2021.
More from Defence Notes
-
Turning the Hiroshima Accord into Action: Enhancing UK-Japan Defence Collaboration (Studio)
The UK-Japan strategic partnership leverages joint defence initiatives, advanced technologies, and SME integration to enhance military capabilities, foster innovation, and ensure regional and global stability through collective action and effective project management.
-
NATO countries outline strategies to accelerate defence industrial production
During the Washington Summit, member states also agreed to improve manufacturing capacities across the alliance and continue investing in joint projects with Ukraine.
-
Why the US military needs an “innovation intervention”
Several issues in the Pentagon’s structure and the defence industrial base have been hampering the country's efforts to produce cutting-edge solutions.