The U.S. Air Force on Sunday carried out what is predicted to be the ultimate test of the hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon.
The service didn’t say whether the test was successful.
In an announcement to Defense News, an Air Force spokesperson said a B-52H Stratofortress carried out the test of the fully operational ARRW prototype, known as an all-up round test, after taking off from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The test was carried out on the Reagan Test Site, an Army facility within the Marshall Islands.
The Air Force declined to discover the test’s objectives, but said it “gained worthwhile insights into the capabilities” of the Lockheed Martin-made hypersonic weapon.
“This test acquired worthwhile, unique data and was intended to further a variety of hypersonic programs,” the spokesperson said. “We also validated and improved our test and evaluation capabilities for continued development of advanced hypersonic systems.”
ARRW is certainly one of the Air Force’s two principal programs to develop an air-launched hypersonic weapon that might fly faster than Mach 5 and be highly maneuverable. China and Russia have invested heavily in their very own hypersonic weapons, and the Pentagon is under pressure from Congress to indicate more progress toward fielding the USA’ own capabilities.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall last 12 months told lawmakers the ARRW program had “struggled” in testing, shortly after a March 2023 test failed.
Air Force officials said earlier this month that ARRW’s upcoming test can be its last, and the service plans to wrap up its rapid prototyping program this 12 months. The service requested no funding to obtain ARRW, nor conduct any research and development, in 2025.
Kendall has sounded a more optimistic tone concerning the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile program, and the fiscal 2025 budget request proposes $517 million to maintain developing that program. The HACM weapon, developed by Northrop Grumman and RTX subsidiary Raytheon, is an air-breathing missile that the Air Force said can be smaller than ARRW and capable of fly along “vastly different trajectories” than the boost-glide ARRW.
The Air Force assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics told reporters earlier this month that the service will study the outcomes of the ultimate ARRW test to assist it determine what hypersonic capabilities it can need.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.