The U.S. Air Force has conducted the final test of an air-launched hypersonic weapon, developed by Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), but it did not specify the speed at which the weapon flew or the test’s objectives.
A B-52H Stratofortress conducted the test of the All-Up-Round AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) prototype on March 17 in the Marshall Islands.
“This test acquired unique data and was intended to further a range of hypersonic programs,” an Air Force spokesperson said. “We also validated and improved our evaluation capabilities for continued development of advanced hypersonic systems.”
Lockheed (LMT) said it “can quickly deliver additional hypersonic-strike assets that can be rapidly deployed to the U.S. military.”
The ARRW program was cancelled last year after multiple failed tests. The Air Force planned to finish the final pending all-up-round tests, but it didn’t seek funding to procure or develop ARRW in its 2025 budget request.
The Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) is now the Air Force’s only hypersonic weapon program. RTX (RTX) and Northrop Grumman (NOC) are developing the weapon.
U.S. efforts in developing hypersonic weapons lag those of Russia, which fired such missiles at targets in Ukraine, and China, which is said to have conducted tests (Beijing denied this). North Korea claimed it tested a solid-fuel engine for its intermediate-range hypersonic missile.