The Air Force’s hypersonic weapons program received another failure last week after a failed test of the AGM-183A missile. The missile’s propellant, designed to accelerate the weapon to speeds above Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound), failed to ignite, causing the missile to fall into the sea. The incident marks the fourth failed test of a hypersonic weapon in two years.
Last week’s test took place at Point Mugu Sea Range, located off the coast of Southern California. The test, known as “Booster Test Vehicle 1b”, involved the release of the hypersonic weapon from a B-52H Stratofortress bomber. Afterward, the rocket’s propellant was supposed to ignite, accelerating the missile to speeds of Mach 5, but it was unable to do so. Presumably the missile fell into the Pacific Ocean.
The AGM-183A air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) is a conventional hypersonic weapon. They are generally designed to hit shooting targets, like a missile launcher or surface-to-air missile radar, before countermeasures against the threat are put in place.