US Air Force Conducts First Flight Test Release Of HACM Hypersonic Cruise Missile
The U.S. Air Force confirmed the first flight test release of its Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile over an Australian test range. Few details were given, and the program has faced delays and a reduced test count.
The U.S. Air Force has carried out the first flight test release of its Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM). This test took place in Australia. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed the test to Air & Space Forces Magazine on Oct. 6 but did not give a date.
According to the spokesperson, the missile was released over a "designated Australian test range, gathering crucial data to advance the program's objectives." The Woomera Test Range is located in the desert of southern Australia. This site is commonly used to test missiles, aircraft and projectiles.
The spokesperson said in an email that the effort belongs to the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment, a collaborative agreement built on more than 15 years of partnership between the two nations. But he declined to share more about the test method, the platform used, flight times, durations, speed or any other details of flight test.
RTX, the prime contractor for the missile, referred all comment to the Air Force. Northrop Grumman, which makes the missile's engine, did not immediately respond to a request for comment as well.
HACM is one of two hypersonic weapons the Air Force is pursuing. The other is the larger AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW. The missile uses a conventional rocket booster to reach high speeds. It then discards the booster and ignites the scramjet engine to reach and hold speeds of Mach 5+.