DARPA’S Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept achieves profitable flight

DARPA, in partnership with the U.S. Air Force, accomplished a free flight check of its Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) final week. The missile, constructed by Raytheon Technologies, was launched from an plane seconds earlier than its Northrop Grumman scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) engine kicked on. The engine compressed incoming air blended with its hydrocarbon gasoline and started igniting that fast-moving airflow combination, propelling the cruiser at a velocity larger than Mach 5 (5 occasions the velocity of sound).

The HAWC car operates finest in oxygen-rich ambiance, the place velocity and maneuverability make it troublesome to detect in a well timed manner. It might strike targets rather more shortly than subsonic missiles and has vital kinetic power even with out excessive explosives.

“The HAWC free flight test was a successful demonstration of the capabilities that will make hypersonic cruise missiles a highly effective tool for our warfighters,” mentioned Andrew “Tippy” Knoedler, HAWC program supervisor in DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office. “This brings us one step closer to transitioning HAWC to a program of record that offers next generation capability to the U.S military.”

Goals of the mission had been: car integration and launch sequence, secure separation from the launch plane, booster ignition and enhance, booster separation and engine ignition, and cruise. All main check targets had been met.

The achievement builds on pioneering scramjet initiatives, together with work on the X-30 National Aero-Space Plane in addition to unmanned flights of NASA’s X-43 autos and the U.S. Air Force’s X-51 Waverider.

“HAWC’s successful free flight test is the culmination of years of successful government and industry partnership, where a single, purpose-driven team accomplished an extremely challenging goal through intense collaboration,” Knoedler added. “This historic flight would not have been possible without the dedication of industry, U.S. Air Force, and Navy flight test personnel who persevered through the pandemic to make the magic happen.”

The HAWC flight test information will assist validate reasonably priced system designs and manufacturing approaches that may discipline air-breathing hypersonic missiles to our warfighters within the close to future.