US successfully tests hypersonic missile, amid fears of lagging behind China, Russia
- Successful trial of Lockheed Martin system comes after a string of failures spurred concerns that the US is falling behind in the arms race
- The US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency also demonstrated its Operational Fires programme in a separate test
The United States successfully tested two Lockheed Martin Corp hypersonic missiles recently, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, amid growing concerns Russia and China have had more success developing their own hypersonic weapons.
The US Air Force confirmed it successfully tested its Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) booster on Tuesday off the California coast.
Reuters reported the ARRW test earlier on Wednesday in which the booster was carried aloft under the wing of a B-52H before it was launched. In previous tests, the weapon did not detach from the plane.
“This second successful test demonstrates ARRW’s ability to reach and withstand operational hypersonic speeds, collect crucial data for use in further flight tests, and validate safe separation from the aircraft,” Lockheed said in a statement.
Air Force Brigadier General Heath Collins, programme executive officer, Armament Directorate, said: “We have now completed our booster test series and are ready to move forward to all-up-round testing later this year”.
The “all-up-round” includes the booster and the warhead.