A hypersonic weapon from a B-52 bomber has been successfully flight-tested by the U.S. Air Force, defense giant Lockheed Martin has announced, according to CNBC.
This marks the Air Force’s latest step in developing a defense as China and Russia are in the midst of ahypersonic arms race, which is reportedly far outpacing American advancement in the area.
Last August, Lockheed Martin won a contract from the Pentagon to develop the ARRW hypersonic missile, and after three more years of testing, it is expected to be ready by 2022.
The test gathered data on drag and vibration impacts on the weapon itself and on the external carriage equipment of the aircraft, according to Defence Blog.
The prototype did not contain explosives, and it was not released from the B-52 during the flight test.
“We’re using the rapid prototyping authorities provided by Congress to quickly bring hypersonic weapon capabilities to the warfighter,” Dr. Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, told Defence Blog. “We set out an aggressive schedule with ARRW. Getting to this flight test on time highlights the amazing work of our acquisition workforce and our partnership with Lockheed Martin and other industry partners.”
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