The Air Force has successfully completed an end-to-end test of its new hypersonic missile system. The test of the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) took place off the coast of Southern California on Dec.9. “This test was the first launch of a full prototype operational missile. Previous test events focused on proving the booster performance,” the Air Force said in a statement. “Following the ARRW’s separation from the aircraft, it reached hypersonic speeds greater than five times the speed of sound, completed its flight path and detonated in the terminal area. Indications show that all objectives were met.”
The system has been under development for five years and suffered some early setbacks in the test program. Those glitches were apparently worked out as the Air Force faced pressure from China and Russia, which have hypersonic weapons in their inventories. The Air Force says the missile, designated AG-183A, was launched from a B-52H and is intended to be used as a standoff conventional weapon to “hold fixed, high-value, time-sensitive targets at risk in contested environments.”
