Despite losing ground in the development of hypersonic air-to-surface missiles from Russia, there is news that the United States has reached the latest phase in this type of advanced defense system.
After carrying out the test flight stage in mid-2020, still using the B-52H Stratoforres strategic bomber launcher, on 14 May the first test launch of the AGM-183A ARRW (Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon) hypersonic missile was held.
Quoted from airforcemag.com, the trial launch of the AGM-183A ARRW is said to be a big momentum for the US Air Force, the article has previously carried out three launch trials which ended in failure. Off the coast of Southern California, the AGM-183A ARRW managed to separate from the wing of the B-52H Stratofortress, then its booster ignited and burned for the expected duration and the missile was able to fly at hypersonic speeds—at least up to speeds above Mach 5.
The pilots were the 419th Flight Test Squadron and the Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force from Edwards California Air Base.
"The test team made sure we carried out this test flawlessly," Lieutenant Colonel Michael Jungquist, commander of the 419th Flight Test Squadron, said in a statement to the media.
The successful launch of the AGM-183A ARRW came after more than a year of setbacks for the program. The missile failed three booster flight tests in 2021. On June 9, 2020, an ARRW carrying a B-52 was reported to have had an incident, in which a hypersonic missile it was “carrying” slipped off its hardpoint by accident.
As a future strategic weapon system, the costs incurred for the development of ARRW are clearly not cheap. In the period 2021 – 2022, the project developed by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) for the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) program has cost US$300 million.
Meanwhile, for the follow-up development program in 2023, there has been a request for funds of US$114.98 to continue the pilot phase.
The AGM-183A ARRW (Arrow) project was developed by Lockheed Martin. The missile uses a boost-glide system, in which the missile is propelled to hypersonic speeds by a mounted rocket before launching toward the target.
The missile, which former US President Donald Trump has dubbed the “Super Duper Missile,” can travel up to Mach 5 and reach targets as far as 1,600 km. In addition to being launched from B-52 bombers, the AGM-183A ARRW can be launched from B-1B bombers and F-15 Eagle fighter jets.
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