DARPA details HAWC flight test progression

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently detailed the second successful flight test of the Lockheed Martin Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC).

“This Lockheed Martin HAWC flight test successfully demonstrated a second design that will allow our warfighters to competitively select the right capabilities to dominate the battlefield,” DARPA Tactical Technology Office HAWC Program Manager Andrew “Tippy” Knoedler said. “These achievements increase the level of technical maturity for transitioning HAWC to a service program of record.”

In conjunction with the Air Force, the test flight involved the vehicle, after its release from a carrier aircraft, being boosted to its Aerojet Rocketdyne scramjet engine ignition envelope.

The vehicle quickly accelerated to and maintained cruise faster than Mach 5 for an extended period of time. The craft reached altitudes exceeding 65,000 feet while flying over 300 nautical miles.

“We are still analyzing flight test data but are confident that we will provide the U.S. Air Force and Navy with excellent options to diversify the technology available for their future missions,” Knoedler said.

Air-breathing vehicles utilize air captured from the atmosphere to achieve sustained propulsion. Determining the speed and maneuverability of such hypersonic cruise missiles allows for the evasion of defenses and quick strikes. Additionally, kinetic energy can effectively destroy targets even without high explosives.