During the last five years, the most powerful militaries in the world have been developing
hypersonic weapons systems capable of reaching five times the speed of sound.
But as Russia and China stepped ahead of the United States,
the Air Force initiated the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon program or ARRW, which led to the
AGM-183A Hypersonic missile developed by Lockheed. After a series of unsuccessful tests,
the incredibly potent missile finally proved its worth in May of 2022, paving the way for a weapon
that could eventually spiral to previously unthinkable heights…
Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon
In May of 2018, the US Air Force began an ambitious program to expedite the development
of a hypersonic missile weapon system. Intelligence officers had expressed their
concerns about rumors that China and Russia were already experimenting with these new weapons,
and the US intelligence community and the Department of Defense took the threat seriously.
A hypersonic missile or vehicle can exceed speeds five times the speed of sound or
upwards of 3,800 miles per hour, and developing a weapon with such characteristics is no easy task.
Fluid air dynamics at hypersonic speeds behave
differently when compared to the speeds at which fighters and missiles travel.
Will Roper, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology, and logistics,
then announced that there was already a team evaluating how to develop a weapon
with such features. The program was called ARRW or Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon.
The Air Force, Navy, Army, Department of Defense, and the Missile Defense Agency signed a memorandum
the following month to work together on the program. And on August 13, the US Air Force
awarded a 480-million contract to Lockheed Martin to develop an air-launched hypersonic weapon.
The cybersecurity strategy of the ARRW program received final approval seven months later,
and Lockheed accelerated the new weapon’s creation.
AGM-183A ARRW
The result of the ARRW program was the AGM-183A Hypersonic missile developed by Lockheed.
It is a small-sized, air-launched missile that is being developed to reach speeds of up to Mach
20, with an estimated range of over 575 miles. The AGM-183A works with a hypersonic boost-glide
system that uses DARPA’s tactical boost-glide technology. A rocket propels the payload to high
speeds and then separates from it, flying like a glider towards the intended target.
Afterward, the missile’s aeroshell drops from a high altitude, and the hypersonic glider’s
warhead detaches to maneuver and impact the target while maintaining the same hypersonic speeds.
The launch platforms that carry the American hypersonic missile
are the B52, B1B, and the F15 aircraft. The advantages of fielding this type of weapon
are numerous, as it can swiftly overcome contested environments with its superior high speed,
maneuverability, and altitude. This allows the US Air Force to strike time-sensitive objectives
from stand-off distances without compromising more valuable assets.
The Flight Tests
The weapon’s first flight test took place over Point Mugu Sea Range
off the coast of California on April 5, 2021. A B52 Stratofortress from the 419th Flight Test
Squadron and the Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force attempted to launch the AGM-183A,
but the missile was unable to complete its launch sequence,
forcing the bomber to return to Edwards Air Force Base.
Brigadier General Heath Collins, the US Air Force’s program executive officer
for its armaments directorate, said in a statement: (QUOTE) “The ARRW program has
been pushing boundaries since its inception and taking calculated risks to move this
important capability forward. While not launching was disappointing, the recent
test provided invaluable information to learn from and continue ahead. This is why we test.”
The second missile test took place on July 28, 2021, in the same place as the first. This time,
the B52H successfully dropped the ARWW test missile, but its rocket
motor failed to ignite after separation. The Air Force press release stated that
despite the failure, the AGM-183A missile cleanly separated from the B52H and demonstrated the
entire release sequence, including umbilical disconnection and power transfer from the
aircraft to the missile and GPS acquisition. Months later, after gathering more information
about the previous mischiefs, the Air Force conducted a third test on December 15.
However, the test also failed, as the prototype missile never left the aircraft’s wing.
Brigadier General Heath Collins told the press that: (QUOTE) “The launch sequence was aborted
before release with an unknown issue. The missile will return to the factory,
and analysis of the telemetry and onboard data will begin immediately.
The program will seek to resume flight test as quickly as possible."
The third attempt’s objective was to demonstrate the correct functioning of the rocket booster
and to study how the nose cone breaks apart and how the unpowered hypersonic boost-glide
vehicle is released. If successful,
the Air Force would have conducted another test to analyze the performance
of the boost-glide vehicle as it glided towards its target at hypersonic speeds.
Retired Air Force General John Hyten, then-Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
expressed his concerns about the third attempt: (QUOTE) “What you need to be worried about is that
in the last five years, or maybe longer, the United States has done
nine hypersonic missile tests, and at the same time, the Chinese have done hundreds.”
Practice Makes Perfect
On May 14, 2022, the Air Force announced that it had finally conducted its first successful
hypersonic weapon test. Footage taken by the Air Force during the trial showed how the AGM-183A
was gracefully released from a B52H. Following the separation,
the missile’s booster ignited and burned, successfully achieving hypersonic speeds
five times greater than the speed of sound. Collins’s tone was different this time,
telling the media that: (QUOTE) “This was a major accomplishment by the ARRW team,
for the weapons enterprise, and our Air Force. The team's tenacity, expertise,
and commitment were key in overcoming the past year's challenges to get us to the recent success.
We are ready to build on what we've learned and continue moving hypersonics forward.”
Additionally, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Jungquist, the 419th FLTS commander, noted:
(QUOTE) "Our highly-skilled team made history on this first air-launched hypersonic weapon. We're
doing everything we can to get this game-changing weapon to the warfighter as soon as possible."
Closing The Gap The groundbreaking success
of the ARRW Hypersonic Missile test in May of 2022 put the US Air Force on track to close the
hypersonic missile gap with China and Russia. The American test came weeks after President
Vladimir Putin told Russian media outlets that his Son of Satan Intercontinental
Ballistic Missile could target the United Kingdom with unprecedented results.
A second successful free flight of the ARRW then took place on July 12,
2022, and the Air Force stated that the exercise concluded the booster test phase of the program,
clearing it for operational testing later in the year.
In addition, several journalists have reported that Russia has been experimenting
with air-launched hypersonic weapons as far back as 2020, as SU57 stealth fighters have
been spotted carrying prototype hypersonic missiles. A paper from RIA Novosti went as
far as to say that these Russian missiles will include seeker heads and electrical circuits.
Other reports have mentioned that Russia is developing more than one type of
hypersonic missile. One of them is called Kinzhai, and it appears as though it will
be employed by the MiG-31 Foxhound Interceptor. If true, Russia may become the first country in
the world to successfully field fifth-generation fighters with air-to-ground hypersonic missiles.
Whichever the case, the US Army, Air Force, and Lockheed Martin will continue
testing the AGM-183A Hypersonic Missile before reaching early operational capability in 2023.
If everything goes as planned, it could be only a matter of time before the US
Air Force starts mass-producing this new hypersonic technology.
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