Welcome to the jungle - US super/hypersonic programs

a reply to: anzha

Yeah, looks like HAWC and HCSW are not related at all.
HCSW is the Air Force effort to put the Armys AHW glide vehicle on a rocket booster launched from a B-52.
HAWC is a DARPA effort under HSSW to develop a next gen scramjet powered hypersonic system.

as i understand it there are two major efforts going atm

The first is centered around the Armys Advanced Hypersonic Weapon which morphed into the Common Glide Vehicle and is basically a lower tech Hypersonic Technology Vehicle that works.
Three programs are using this vehicle - the Air Force on HCSW which is slated for rapid deployment, the Navy on the sub launched intermediate range conventional prompt strike weapon system (seriously wtf) already tested in 2017 and the Army with the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon and/or Land Based Hypersonic Missile (programs post INF cancellation).

The second effort has a more tactical focus and is centered around the DARPA/Air Force Tactical Boost Glide vehicle under the HSSW umbrella.
The Air Force again is in the lead with the AGM-183A ARRW weapon to be deployed within the next couple of years.
The Navy is looking at the posibility of a ship launched TBG variant. And the Army got a slice of the pie with the Operational Fires concept.

All those concepts are using rather conventional rocket propelled boosters.
The only known white world effort to use something else is HAWC under the HSSW umbrella. I suspect there is more going on with AFRE and whatever else came out of Falcon, but lets not go into that.



files.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: mightmight

look at this cool power point

www.thedrive.com...

a reply to: anzha

That cant be HAWC, its just a rocket booster and a glide body, nothing air breathing about it. Maybe its ARRW. Or the artist screwed up.

small adjustments


files.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: mightmight

Or the artist was told not to render the inlet. idk.

A B-52 did a captive carry of the ARRW missile:

www.flightglobal.com...

I wonder which of these was flying the other day after the torpedo.

a reply to: anzha

It's missing a piece.

www.defensenews.com... /

a reply to: anzha
Ooooohhh sounds like they have been playing with some printer powder..

a reply to: Blackfinger

Supposedly, it will fly soon.

aviationweek.com...

a reply to: anzha

so that get's us to

AHW umbrella:
Long Range Hypersonic Weapon / Missile (Army)
Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (Air Force)
Intermediate Range Conventional Prompt Strike Weapons System (Navy)

TBG umbrella:
Lockheed Martin AGM-183A ARRW (Air Force)
Raytheon 'ARRW-2'
Hypersonic Booster Technology Development / Ship Launched TBG
US Army Operational Fires

HAWC umbrella:
Lockheed HAWC
Raytheon-Northrop HAWC

a reply to: mightmight

so with whatever was seen in 2017 that i assume will have strike abilities, if something is already going hypersonic how do they release a weapon of any type?

clearly they cant have things mounted normally on wings for obvious reasons, and anything that would be carried internally would just tumble as soon as it hit high mach wind.


the replacement for the SR71 is said to have strike capabilities, is it going to hit the brakes to launch its payload and gas it again? seems very dangerous

is it possible this rush for the finish line in hypersonic weapons is because they have these hypersonics aircraft but cant weaponize them. Other than DEW's i just don't know how you would fire a missile or drop a bomb from internal storage when your going hypersonic

i have all sorts of questions regarding hypersonic strike aircraft.

a reply to: penroc3

www.sto.nato.int...

www.defencetalk.com...

The B-1B doesnt do Mach 2...

new version



files.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: mightmight

Good use of color.

originally posted by: wirehead
Good use of color.

that was what it was going for

now with even more color & TBCC stuff



files.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: mightmight

If you have time to research it, you should do something similar for the Russian and other international efforts:

wrt, Avangard:

www.engadget.com...