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| US Successfully Tests HAWC Hypersonic Missile, Translucent Mach 5 Speed at 18 Km Altitude |
International Military - The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) successfully conducted the final test of the HAWC hypersonic missile or Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept. The HAWC hypersonic missile fired from a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft reaches speeds of Mach 5 at an altitude of 18 Km. DARPA did not explain in detail the location of the HAWC hypersonic missile test and only stated that it would be carried out in January 2023.
After being fired from a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, the HAWC hypersonic missile activates a booster rocket that uses a scramjet engine. "After flying, the HAWC hypersonic missile flies more than 556 kilometers and reaches an altitude of more than 60,000 feet or 18.3 km," according to a DARPA statement quoted from Space, Wednesday (1/2/2023).
DARPA added that this test marked the completion of the HAWC program and the data collected from these four test flights was ready to be used in the new program, More Opportunities with HAWC (MOHAWC). The goal is to build and fly more hypersonic test vehicles for use by the US military.
Lockheed Martin, which with Aerojet Rocketdyne developed the version of the HAWC weapon flown in this latest flight test, issued a statement of its own and praised the program's success. "Both of our HAWC test flights were launched from operational aircraft and matched performance and predictive models to assist the development of affordable and rapid future hypersonic weapons," said Lockheed Martin vice president John Clark.
US military officials have announced the success of the HAWC program. "The things we have learned from HAWC will definitely enhance the US Air Force's future capabilities," said Walter Price, Air Force representative for the HAWC program.
The main technology tested during the HAWC program was the air-breathing scramjet engine. A scramjet is a type of jet engine with burning air flowing through it as it travels at supersonic speeds.
While a regular jet engine uses a moving turbine to compress the air inside, a scramjet uses its own geometry and speed to achieve this compression. Scramjets are designed to be more efficient than other types of jet engines and can reduce overall weight by eliminating moving parts such as turbine blades.
The data obtained from the HAWC tests will be used for further hypersonic vehicle designs in the MOHAWC program. According to a 2022 report from C4ISRNET, advanced programs to improve scramjet propulsion technology, reduce subsystem component sizes, and improve production processes.
The completion of the HAWC program adds to the recent success the US military has had in its efforts to develop and deploy operational hypersonic weapons. In December 2022, the United States Air Force announced it had successfully fired its first fully operational hypersonic missile, meeting all test objectives.