On October 21, a U.S. Department of Defense hypersonic vehicle test failed after the system’s booster malfunctioned shortly after launch. According to a Pentagon statement, the hypersonic system being tested was not associated with the Army/Navy-developed Common Hypersonic Glide Body weapon currently under development. The flight test attempt reportedly took place in Alaska, but officials...
In July and August, China tested two hypersonic weapons, according to “people familiar with US intelligence assessments.” The first weapon, tested July 27, incorporated a fractional orbital bombardment system-like launch vehicle, which partly orbited the Earth before releasing a hypersonic weapon that reentered the atmosphere. Officials stated the weapon “missed its target by about two-dozen...
On October 3 and 4, Russia’s defense ministry announced its first and second flight tests of a Zircon hypersonic missile from attack submarine Severodvinsk (K-560). In the first test, Russia’s navy fired the missile from the surfaced submarine in the Barents Sea, striking a “hypothetical sea target.” In a second test, announced October 4, Severodvinsk...
On September 28, North Korea launched a missile from the country’s northern Jagang Province in what state-run media described as a test of a “hypersonic missile.” According to South Korean security officials, the weapon flew less than 200 km and did not follow a ballistic trajectory, exhibiting “different flight features from the missiles the North...
On September 27, the U.S. Defense Department announced the successful flight test of its Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC), a scramjet-propelled hypersonic missile. In the test, conducted the week of September 19, the hydrocarbon-fueled missile successfully released from an aircraft before cruising to speeds over Mach 5. HAWC is a DARPA-U.S. Air Force technology demonstration...
On June 2, Tom Karako spoke with Mike White, Principal Director for Hypersonics in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering OUSD(R&E). The discussion reviewed the programmatic and budgetary implications of both hypersonic strike and defense.
On April 5, the U.S. Air Force conducted a rocket booster test of its hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW). According to a USAF release, “the test missile was not able to complete its launch sequence” and was not fired. The ARRW is a boost glide hypersonic weapon. The USAF has previously conducted seven...
On December 11-12, Russia test fired a Tsirkon hypersonic missile and four Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) in a series of naval launches. On December 11, Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov (417) fired a Tsirkon hypersonic missile from the White Sea, striking a coastal target over 350 km away in Northern Russia’s Arkhangelsk region. On December...
Just as the world mitigated the most destabilizing aspects of systems like the strategic bomber and the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the United States can blunt some of the risks posed by aerial hypersonic weapons.
On October 7, Russia successfully test-fired a Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile from a warship in the Barents Sea. According to the Russian armed forces, the missile traveled 450 km and reached a maximum speed of Mach 8 before striking a floating target. The scramjet-powered Tsirkon missile reportedly began development in the early 2010s and...
