US to build additional hypersonic systems, conduct HAWC flight tests

News, US July 24, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded two major defense corporations, Raytheon (RTX) and Northrop Grumman, a follow-on contract for additional hypersonic weapon advancements.

The Raytheon statement highlighted that the company’s team will lead the project to “build and fly additional Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) flight vehicles”. Under the contract, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman will work to reduce the risk for future air-breathing hypersonic systems.

Both companies have successfully completed several HAWC operational prototype system flight tests and their combined efforts have enabled the production of the next generation of tactical missile systems, air-breathing hypersonic weapons.

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

According to the RTX statement, the company’s team will continue “to apply data and lessons learned from earlier stages of the program to mature the operationally relevant weapon concept design.” The work will be focused on “incorporating manufacturing improvements into the existing HAWC design and flight tests to expand its operating envelope while validating system performance models,” the statement read.

^{This artist’s rendering shows the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept, which will integrate Raytheon’s air-breathing hypersonic weapons with scramjet combustors from Northrop Grumman. (Image Credit: RTX)}

The RTX statement added that the “airframe and engine designs are closely aligned to the U.S. Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) which will directly benefit from the continued advancements.”

Dan Olson, the General Manager and Vice President of weapons systems at Northrop Grumman, said that “The HAWC follow-on contract serves as an engine pathfinder program in our new production-ready Hypersonics Capability Center in Elkton, Maryland.”

He further added that “Our factory of the future will seamlessly transition our validated propulsion system design into an operationally ready system to support further flight testing.”

U.S. defense manufacturers Raytheon and Northrop Grumman have been partners since 2013 and both companies signed a teaming agreement in 2019 “to develop, produce and integrate Northrop Grumman’s scramjet engines onto Raytheon’s air-breathing hypersonic weapons,” according to RTX.