Captive-carry flight for AGM-183A hypersonic missile

摘要

THE US Air Force and Lockheed Martin successfully flight tested the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) on a B-52H operating from Edwards Air Force Base, California, on June 12. The captive-carry flight is part of the air arm's rapid prototyping effort to mature the AGM-183A hypersonic weapon, which completed a preliminary design review in March. The store involved was a sensor-only version of the ARRW, carried on an external pylon to analyse drag and vibration impacts on the weapon. Further ground and flight testing will follow over the next three years. Frank St John, executive vice president at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said: "With hypersonic capabilities being a national security priority, Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force are accelerating the maturation and fielding of a hypersonic weapon system."