US Air Force Resumes Hypersonic Weapon Prototype Test

The U.S. Air Force is collecting data from its test on Saturday of a prototype hypersonic AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon as inputs for future weapons capable of speeds above Mach 5. The test, which was launched from a B-52H Stratofortress, is the latest since another operational ARRW prototype failed its test in March.

The recent test focused on the prototype’s end-to-end performance, including validation and improvement of the service’s testing and evaluation capabilities in the development of advanced hypersonic systems, the Air Force said.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, a 2023 Wash100 winner, said in a congressional committee March hearing that the service is more committed to the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile project than the ARRW, which is made by Lockheed Martin.

In a separate March hearing, Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter told congressmen that the service was still planning two last ARRW test flights for data collection on future hypersonic programs.

Lawmakers are concerned that the United States may be lagging behind Russian and Chinese hypersonic weaponry, with the U.S. military not doing enough on the capability, C4ISRNET reported.