Test shows maturation of operationally
relevant weapon concept
TUCSON,
Ariz., July 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon
Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX)
business, in partnership with Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC),
successfully completed its second flight test of the
scramjet-powered Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept, or HAWC,
for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Air
Force.
This flight test applied the data and lessons learned from the
first flight to mature the operationally relevant weapon concept
design. The test met all primary and secondary objectives,
including demonstrating tactical range capabilities.
"The test demonstrated how we've rapidly matured affordable
scramjet technology, which is the basis for air-breathing weapons,"
said Colin Whelan, president of
Advanced Technology for Raytheon Missiles & Defense. "Our
second HAWC flight test success is an important milestone for our
nation as we advance hypersonic systems."
During the flight test, after releasing HAWC from an aircraft
and accelerating to hypersonic speeds using the scramjet engine,
the vehicle flew a trajectory that engineers designed to
intentionally stress the weapon concept to explore its limits and
further validate digital performance models. These models, grounded
in real-world flight data, are being used to accurately predict and
increase performance as the system matures.
"The second flight test is a big step toward scramjet technology
being mission ready," said Dan
Olson, vice president and general manager of Weapon Systems
for Northrop Grumman. "Nearly twenty years of scramjet propulsion
research and development have come to fruition to significantly
advance our nation's weapon capabilities."
Scramjet engines use high vehicle speed to forcibly compress
incoming air before combustion to enable sustained flight at
hypersonic speeds – Mach 5 or greater. The system was designed to
use a widely available hydrocarbon fuel, and since it uses air for
combustion, it does not have to carry the added weight of an
onboard oxidizer. These key attributes allow for a safe, efficient,
and tactically sized, long-range hypersonic weapon. By traveling at
these speeds, hypersonic weapons like HAWC can reach their targets
more quickly than traditional missiles, allowing them to
potentially evade defense systems.
Raytheon Missiles and Defense and Northrop Grumman have been
working together since 2019 to develop, produce and integrate
Northrop Grumman's scramjet engines onto Raytheon's air-breathing
hypersonic weapons. Their combined efforts enable both companies to
produce air-breathing hypersonic weapons, the next generation of
tactical missile systems.
About Raytheon Technologies
Raytheon
Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that
provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and
government customers worldwide. With four industry-leading
businesses ― Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon
Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the
company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics,
cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics,
and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the
combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies
Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
About Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman is a
technology company focused on global security and human discovery.
Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with capabilities they
need to connect, advance and protect the U.S. and its allies.
Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers' toughest
problems, our 90,000 employees define possible every
day.
Media Contact
Lindsey Drummey
RMDPR@rtx.com
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SOURCE Raytheon Missiles & Defense