On Monday, the US Air Force announced that a hypersonic weapon had been successfully tested over the weekend. A B-52H Stratofortress bomber launched an AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) off the coast of Southern California on Saturday, according to the Air Force.
The weapon’s booster ignited and burned for a long time after it separated from the aircraft, according to the statement. The weapon could travel at a speed of five times that of sound.
The test comes as the US works to develop hypersonic weapons that can move faster than the speed of sound. It is to compete with adversaries like Russia and China.
Lockheed Martin developed The ARRW to destroy flexible, time-sensitive targets in combat scenarios, according to the Air Force. As per the report, the weapon will “increase precision-strike capabilities by enabling fast response strikes against heavily defended ground targets.”
In April, the Air Force attempted to test this weapon, but the missile did not fire. According to CNN, the service decided to postpone the program for up to a year after a failed test in April and other failed tests.
The test happened on Saturday by the 419th Flight Test Squadron and the Global Power Bomber Combined Test. Both of them are likewise based at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Michael Jungquist, 419th FLTS commander and GPB CTF director, says the crew ensured the test went “flawlessly.”
Other nations and hypersonic weapons
The United States isn’t alone in developing hypersonic weapons.
Russia has fired hypersonic missiles against targets in Ukraine, according to US military authorities, while China has tested hypersonic weaponry.
Beijing denied it had conducted a weapons test in October.
North Korea claimed to have carried out two hypersonic missile tests in January.
The US, UK, and Australia have also revealed plans to collaborate on hypersonic missile strikes and defense capabilities.