US AIR FORCE SAYS IT CONDUCTED SUCCESSFUL HYPERSONIC WEAPON TEST

Wed 20 March 2024:

The US Air Force said on Tuesday it had conducted a successful test of an air-launched hypersonic weapon in the Pacific Ocean.

The test was conducted on Sunday after a B-52 bomber left the island of Guam carrying an Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), the Air Force said in a statement.

In a statement to Defense News, an Air Force spokesperson said a B-52H Stratofortress carried out the test of the fully operational ARRW prototype, referred to as an all-up round test, after taking off from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The test was carried out at the Reagan Test Site, an Army facility in the Marshall Islands.

The Air Force declined to identify the test’s objectives, but said it “gained valuable insights into the capabilities” of the Lockheed Martin-made hypersonic weapon.

“This test acquired valuable, unique data and was intended to further a range of hypersonic programs,” the spokesperson said. “We also validated and improved our test and evaluation capabilities for continued development of advanced hypersonic systems.”

Though the US Air Force called the test a success, it did not disclose the speed the weapon flew. In past tests, the ARRW has flown at least five times the speed of sound.

The US is not alone in developing hypersonic weapons, whose speed and maneuverability make them difficult to track and intercept.

ARRW is one of the Air Force’s two main programs to develop an air-launched hypersonic weapon that could fly faster than Mach 5 and be highly maneuverable. China and Russia have invested heavily in their own hypersonic weapons, and the Pentagon is under pressure from Congress to show more progress toward fielding the United States’ own capabilities.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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