B-52H serial 60-0036 operated by the 412th Test Wing’s
419th Flight Test Squadron conducts a captive carry test with a prototype of
the hypersonic AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) on June 12.
B-52H CARRIAGE TESTS UNDER WAY AT EDWARDS AFB
The USAF conducted the first flight test of its hypersonic
AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) at Edwards AFB. California,
on June 12. During the captive-carry test an instrumented version of the ARRW
prototype was carried externally by a B-52H from the 419th Flight Test
Squadron. The mission was intended to record environmental and aircraft
handling data. The test gathered information on drag and vibration impacts on the
weapon itself and on the aircraft’s external carriage equipment.
The ARRW is one of several air launched hypersonic weapons
being developed as rapid prototyping efforts by the USAF along with the
Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) and the Hypersonic Conventional
Strike Weapon (HCSW). The weapon is expected to reach early operational
capability by fiscal year 2022. Lockheed Martin is developing the ARRW under
a contract awarded in August 2018. It includes design, test and production
readiness support to facilitate fielded prototypes.
America’s longest-serving bomber just took flight with a new air-launched hypersonic weapon for the first time, the US Air Force announced on Thursday.
A B-52 Stratofortress heavy long-range bomber took to the skies over Edwards Air Force Base in California on Wednesday with an inactive, sensor-only prototype of the new AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), one of a handful of hypersonic weapons the Air Force is developing for the B-52s.
This first flight test, which you can read about in a very
recent article of ours here, was simply to collect data on the drag and
vibrations a B-52 would experience while carrying the weapon. The Air Force
plans to continue ground and flight testing of the ARRW over the next three
years, according to a statement from Lockheed Martin, which is the prime
contractor.
At the heart of the AGM-183A is an unpowered hypersonic
boost-glide vehicle, but that will be fully contained inside the nose of the
missile until the rocket booster propels it to the appropriate speed and
altitude. So, the pictures we have now give us the first look at the external
size and shape of the complete weapon, including what appear to be pop-out fins
at the rear of the booster.
The B-52H is carrying the missile under its wing on what
appears to be a modified Improved Common Pylon (ICP). The overall length of the
weapon seems to suggest it might be possible for the bomber to carry two
AGM-183As under each wing. For this configuration to work, the weapon would
have to fall away from the bomber first like a bomb before the rocket ignites.
This first flight test, which you can read about in a very
recent article of ours here, was simply to collect data on the drag and vibrations
a B-52 would experience while carrying the weapon. The Air Force plans to
continue ground and flight testing of the ARRW over the next three years,
according to a statement from Lockheed Martin, which is the prime contractor.
At the heart of the AGM-183A is an unpowered hypersonic
boost-glide vehicle, but that will be fully contained inside the nose of the
missile until the rocket booster propels it to the appropriate speed and
altitude. So, the pictures we have now give us the first look at the external
size and shape of the complete weapon, including what appear to be pop-out fins
at the rear of the booster.
The B-52H is carrying the missile under its wing on what
appears to be a modified Improved Common Pylon (ICP). The overall length of the
weapon seems to suggest it might be possible for the bomber to carry two
AGM-183As under each wing. For this configuration to work, the weapon would
have to fall away from the bomber first like a bomb before the rocket ignites.
The Air Force has also expressed an interest in a new Heavy
Release Capability (HRC) pylon, each of which can carry two 20,000-pound class
weapons, which could also be an indication that the service is looking at this
to be the full AGM-183A loadout for the B-52. A bomber carrying four ARRW would
offer impressive stand-off strike capability.
Hypersonic weapons are a key research and development area
in the ongoing arms race between the great-power rivals Russia, China, and the
US. Hypersonics are particularly deadly because of their high speeds, in excess
of Mach 5, and their maneuverability, which gives them the ability to evade
enemy air-and-missile defense systems.
The hypersonic weapon carried by the B-52 on Wednesday 12
June did not contain explosives and was not released during testing, the Air
Force said, explaining that the focus of the test was to gather data on drag
and vibration effects on the weapon, as well as evaluate the external carriage
equipment.
For the B-52, a nonstealth bomber that might struggle to
skirt enemy air defenses, the standoff capability provided by a weapon like the
ARRW helps keep the decades-old aircraft relevant even as the US prepares to
fight wars against high-end opponents.
Standoff is one area the US military has been looking
closely at as it upgrades its B-52s to extend their service life.
The Air Force, much like the Army and Navy, is pursuing hypersonic
weapons technology as quickly as possible.
“We’re using the rapid prototyping authorities provided
by Congress to quickly bring hypersonic weapon capabilities to the
warfighter,” Will Roper, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for
acquisition, technology and logistics, said in a release.
“This type of speed in our acquisition system is
essential — it allows us to field capabilities rapidly to compete against the
threats we face,” Roper said, apparently referencing the challenges posed
by near-peer competitors.
Russia, for instance, has developed the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, a
nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile that can be carried by both
bombers and interceptor aircraft.
