ARRW Hypersonic Missile Passes First Operationally Configured Flight Test
The United States Air Force has announced that its AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon conducted a successful test flight on December 9. The test was the first time the prototype hypersonic missile was launched in operational configuration, and the third consecutive successful ARRW test.
After being released from a B-52 off the coast of southern California, the ARRW all-up-round accelerated to hypersonic speed “greater than five times the speed of sound”, completing its flight path and detonating in the target area. The test was carried out by the 412th Test Wing out of Edwards Air Force Base in California, with data collected from the test showing that all test objectives were met.
“The ARRW team successfully designed and tested an air-launched hypersonic missile in five years,” said Brig. Gen. Jason Bartolomei, Armament Directorate Program Executive Officer. “I am immensely proud of the tenacity and dedication this team has shown to provide a vital capability to our warfighter.”
Jay Pitman, Vice President of Air Dominance and Strike Weapons at Lockheed Missiles and Fire Control, stated that the test showed that “we are on the cusp of an operational capability that can be deployed to the men and women in uniform”, crediting the successful test to the “commitment, rigor, and dedication of the joint U.S. Government and Lockheed Martin team to develop hypersonic weapons on accelerated timelines to meet critical national security needs”.
The 9 December test follows successful tests in May and July that broke a streak of booster flight test failures in 2021. While the 2021 booster flight test failures had cast doubt on the program’s aggressive schedule, the Air Force disclosed earlier this month that it expects ARRW to be operational by fall 2023, pending a determination that the program has been successful enough for rapid production. Towards that, Airmen of the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base in Lousiana have developed procedures for the loading and unloading of the ARRW on operational B-52s.