Raytheon, Northrop Grumman outline DARPA hypersonic weapons contract

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has detailed a follow-on contract with Raytheon and Northrop Grumman Corporation to reduce risk for future air breathing hypersonic systems.

The scope of work calls for the Raytheon-led team to build and fly additional Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) flight vehicles

“We applied learnings from each successful HAWC flight test to ensure that it is the most sophisticated system of its kind,” Raytheon Advanced Technology President Colin Whelan said. “Continuing this important program will expand our knowledge of hypersonic flight and allow us to deliver the critical capability our warfighters need.”

Data and lessons learned from earlier stages of the program to mature the operationally relevant weapon concept design will continue to be applied. The initiative focuses on incorporating manufacturing improvements into the existing HAWC design and flight tests to expand its operating envelope while validating system performance models.

“The HAWC follow-on contract serves as an engine pathfinder program in our new production-ready Hypersonics Capability Center in Elkton, Maryland,” Northrop Grumman Weapons Systems General Manager and Vice President Dan Olson said. “Our factory of the future will seamlessly transition our validated propulsion system design into an operationally ready system to support further flight testing.”