Hypersonic missile delay puts US further behind China and Russia
- A series of failed tests means schedule for what was to be Pentagon’s first operational weapon may be set back for as long as a year
- Meanwhile, China has already demonstrated the technology in a space launch, while Russia has used such missiles in Ukraine
The first US hypersonic weapon will be delayed for as long as a year under a new schedule, even as lawmakers protest that the Pentagon is lagging behind in a new technology that Russia has already used in Ukraine and China has demonstrated in a space launch.
The goal to declare an “early operational capability” for the Lockheed Martin Corp. missile by September 30 has been moved back to sometime in the next financial year, according to an Air Force statement.
The Pentagon has said the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, is expected to be the “nation’s first operational hypersonic weapon”.
Hypersonic weapons are hard to track and destroy because they fly five times the speed of sound and can be manoeuvred. Last month, Russia debuted a hypersonic air-to-ground missile in its attack on Ukraine, and in July China hit a demonstration target on Earth with a weapon in orbit.
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Adversaries do not have to meet the rigorous standards set under the US defence acquisition system or face public scrutiny over delays and failure.