The Defense Advanced Research Project
Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) announced Tuesday
successful completion of captive carry tests of two variants of
the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) and are
ready to proceed to first free-flight testing within the calendar
year. The joint effort seeks to develop and demonstrate critical
technologies to enable an effective and affordable air-launched
hypersonic cruise missile.
HAWC contractors Lockheed Martin and
Raytheon Technologies have each tested advanced air vehicle
configurations that promise to achieve and sustain efficient
hypersonic flight. Their upcoming flight tests will focus on
hydrocarbon scramjet-powered propulsion and thermal management
techniques to enable prolonged hypersonic cruise, in addition to
affordable system designs and manufacturing approaches.
The HAWC program, since inception, has
been executed as a joint program between DARPA and the USAF. In
addition, DARPA is working in cooperation with military services and
agencies, including the Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Navy, and NASA
to validate, and eventually transition key technologies. The
extensive flight data collected is intended to increase the
confidence in air-breathing hypersonic systems and reduce the risks
to potential future acquisition programs across the U.S. government.
In the 1990s, NASA
developed an experimental unmanned hypersonic aircraft called
the X-43. The
first plane in the series, the X-43A, was a single-use vehicle, of
which three were built. The first X-43A was destroyed after
malfunctioning in flight in 2001. Each of the other two flew
successfully in 2004, setting speed records, with the scramjets
operating for approximately 10 seconds followed by 10-minute glides
and intentional crashes into the ocean. Plans for more planes in the
X-43 series have been suspended or canceled.
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