B-52H serial 60-0036 operated by the 412th Test Wing’s 419th Flight Test Squadron conducts a captive carry test with a prototype of the hypersonic AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) on June 12.
B-52H CARRIAGE TESTS UNDER WAY AT EDWARDS AFB
The USAF conducted the first flight test of its hypersonic AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) at Edwards AFB. California, on June 12. During the captive-carry test an instrumented version of the ARRW prototype was carried externally by a B-52H from the 419th Flight Test Squadron. The mission was intended to record environmental and aircraft handling data. The test gathered information on drag and vibration impacts on the weapon itself and on the aircraft’s external carriage equipment.
The ARRW is one of several air launched hypersonic weapons being developed as rapid prototyping efforts by the USAF along with the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) and the Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW). The weapon is expected to reach early operational capability by fiscal year 2022. Lockheed Martin is developing the ARRW under a contract awarded in August 2018. It includes design, test and production readiness support to facilitate fielded prototypes.
America’s longest-serving bomber just took flight with a new air-launched hypersonic weapon for the first time, the US Air Force announced on Thursday.
A B-52 Stratofortress heavy long-range bomber took to the skies over Edwards Air Force Base in California on Wednesday with an inactive, sensor-only prototype of the new AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), one of a handful of hypersonic weapons the Air Force is developing for the B-52s.
This first flight test, which you can read about in a very recent article of ours here, was simply to collect data on the drag and vibrations a B-52 would experience while carrying the weapon. The Air Force plans to continue ground and flight testing of the ARRW over the next three years, according to a statement from Lockheed Martin, which is the prime contractor.
At the heart of the AGM-183A is an unpowered hypersonic boost-glide vehicle, but that will be fully contained inside the nose of the missile until the rocket booster propels it to the appropriate speed and altitude. So, the pictures we have now give us the first look at the external size and shape of the complete weapon, including what appear to be pop-out fins at the rear of the booster.
The B-52H is carrying the missile under its wing on what appears to be a modified Improved Common Pylon (ICP). The overall length of the weapon seems to suggest it might be possible for the bomber to carry two AGM-183As under each wing. For this configuration to work, the weapon would have to fall away from the bomber first like a bomb before the rocket ignites.
This first flight test, which you can read about in a very recent article of ours here, was simply to collect data on the drag and vibrations a B-52 would experience while carrying the weapon. The Air Force plans to continue ground and flight testing of the ARRW over the next three years, according to a statement from Lockheed Martin, which is the prime contractor.
At the heart of the AGM-183A is an unpowered hypersonic boost-glide vehicle, but that will be fully contained inside the nose of the missile until the rocket booster propels it to the appropriate speed and altitude. So, the pictures we have now give us the first look at the external size and shape of the complete weapon, including what appear to be pop-out fins at the rear of the booster.
The B-52H is carrying the missile under its wing on what appears to be a modified Improved Common Pylon (ICP). The overall length of the weapon seems to suggest it might be possible for the bomber to carry two AGM-183As under each wing. For this configuration to work, the weapon would have to fall away from the bomber first like a bomb before the rocket ignites.
The Air Force has also expressed an interest in a new Heavy Release Capability (HRC) pylon, each of which can carry two 20,000-pound class weapons, which could also be an indication that the service is looking at this to be the full AGM-183A loadout for the B-52. A bomber carrying four ARRW would offer impressive stand-off strike capability.
Hypersonic weapons are a key research and development area in the ongoing arms race between the great-power rivals Russia, China, and the US. Hypersonics are particularly deadly because of their high speeds, in excess of Mach 5, and their maneuverability, which gives them the ability to evade enemy air-and-missile defense systems.
The hypersonic weapon carried by the B-52 on Wednesday 12 June did not contain explosives and was not released during testing, the Air Force said, explaining that the focus of the test was to gather data on drag and vibration effects on the weapon, as well as evaluate the external carriage equipment.
For the B-52, a nonstealth bomber that might struggle to skirt enemy air defenses, the standoff capability provided by a weapon like the ARRW helps keep the decades-old aircraft relevant even as the US prepares to fight wars against high-end opponents.
Standoff is one area the US military has been looking closely at as it upgrades its B-52s to extend their service life.
The Air Force, much like the Army and Navy, is pursuing hypersonic weapons technology as quickly as possible.
“We’re using the rapid prototyping authorities provided by Congress to quickly bring hypersonic weapon capabilities to the warfighter,” Will Roper, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, said in a release.
“This type of speed in our acquisition system is essential — it allows us to field capabilities rapidly to compete against the threats we face,” Roper said, apparently referencing the challenges posed by near-peer competitors.
Russia, for instance, has developed the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, a nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile that can be carried by both bombers and interceptor aircraft.