With the conclusion on AGM-183A ARRW rocket-boosted hypersonic glide weapon, AFRL is eyeing reusable hypersonic technologies for the 2030s. Air and Space Forces Magazine reports that no follow-up production for AGM-183A is planned, and the HACM hypersonic cruise missile under development by Raytheon will begin flight tests in 2025. The fate of AGM-183A will be decided after the final test. A demonstrator for an air-launched hypersonic weapon was previously tested. The prototype, named X-51, was launched from a B-52 bomber with a solid-fuel rocket booster and cruised at a speed of Mach 5. Lt. Gen. Dale White stated that the efforts will shift towards a reusable hypersonic platform capable of ISR and strike missions.
Lockheed Martin has a proposal, known as SR-72, planned to conduct said missions.
Works are underway on combined cycle jet engines for reusable hypersonic aircraft. These engines combine turbojet, ramjet, and scramjet modes for all flight stages. The concept can be explained as follows: after the aircraft reaches supersonic speeds with the turbojet, the ramjet is activated to approach hypersonic speeds, and finally, the engine switches to scramjet for the hypersonic cruise.
The U.S. Army and Navy are in the process of acquiring their first hypersonic weapons. The Army will acquire the trailer-based LRHW, while the Navy will use CPS from Zumwalt-class destroyers. Both weapons boost a hypersonic glide vehicle using a rocket booster to high altitudes and hypersonic speeds. CPS was present in the Navy’s munition acquisition plans for FY24.
