Lockheed Hypersonic Missile Test Marred by In-Flight Data Loss

It was a setback for US efforts to catch up with China and Russia in a key weapon capability when Lockheed Martin Corp.'s hypersonic missile prototype failed to transmit in-flight performance data on its second test flight, two people familiar with the results said.

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The US Air Force did not mention the transmission issue or data loss experienced during the exercise on March 13 in a statement released on March 24 that stated that the test "reached several of the objectives and team engineers and testers are collecting data for future study."

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The warhead successfully split from its rocket booster after being launched from a B-52H bomber off the southern coast of California and went into flight. The people, who asked to remain anonymous because they were sharing sensitive material, claimed that after that, the data link transmitting in-flight performance statistics failed.

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The Pentagon needs lost telemetry data in order to fully comprehend the flight characteristics of the weapon. According to the sources, the flight team has started a failure analysis. The failure's root cause and the glider warhead's defect are two important questions that need to be answered.

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The Air-Launched Rapid Reaction Weapon, or ARRW, a prototype operational hypersonic missile, underwent its second of four planned tests, making it significant. It is intended to compete with successful Russian and Chinese programs and is the service's top hypersonic program.

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Officials from the service need four successful launches of the prototype missile before they feel confident enough to say the weapon has an early operational capability and move forward with production. An "All-up Round" underwent its initial test in December. Success was achieved.

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Further information was deferred by the Air Force to a Pentagon spokesman. In a statement, the Defense Department claimed that "characterizing this test as a failure is erroneous."

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"All developmental assessments offer the chance to learn more about the system's intricate workings. In order to grasp any lessons learned to advance developmental maturity, we are still evaluating the data obtained from the most recent test."

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The Pentagon stated in the statement, "Because to operational confidentiality we will not comment on the detailed observations from the test."

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According to a statement from Lockheed Martin, the corporation is "committed to developing hypersonic technology on an accelerated timetable to satisfy this essential national security demand." Prior to entering into full production, "we execute operational scenarios in addition to traditional tests to guarantee the final product is safe" and dependable.

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The weapon can travel up to 1,000 miles at a speed of eight times the speed of sound. The Air Force had repeatedly "pushed back the schedule" for the hypersonic missile and "now asserts" it might be operational as soon as this autumn, according to a study from the Congressional Research Service from February 13.

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The development model ARRW's three prior booster test failures prevented the missile from entering production last year. They were ultimately successful. By September 30, 2022, the Military had aimed to certify the US's first hypersonic weapon as combat-capable.

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China and Russia already possess highly agile, incredibly fast-moving weaponry. These have been used by Russia during its invasion of Ukraine. This month, a Defense Intelligence Agency official claimed that China is developing hypersonic missiles faster than Russia and may already have deployed one that can strike US sites in the Pacific..

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According to Paul Freisthler, the chief scientist for the DIA's analysis section, this month, a House Armed Services subcommittee was informed that China is likewise pursuing an intercontinental ballistic missile that has been tested since 2014 and is armed with a hypersonic glide warhead. The weapon demonstrated its ability to traverse the world in July 2021, he claimed.

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One of the three main Military hypersonic weapons programs, ARRW was initially regarded as the most sophisticated. The Army and Navy each have their own initiatives.