Air Force launches new air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile program

摘要

The Air Force is starting a new air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile program that looks to capitalize on the maturity of scramjet technology, expand the small hypersonics industrial base and diversify mission sets available to operators. The service released a notice Tuesday announcing it's beginning market research into suppliers' ability to provide a solid-rocket boosted capability with a preliminary design review date scheduled for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021. Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper told reporters today scramjet technology "has come a long way" and he's "exceptionally impressed" by new manufacturing techniques, echoing comments made last week by Mark Lewis, director of defense research and engineering for modernization, who explained more air-breathing hypersonic weapons can fit on aircraft than boost-glide ones.