Final flight of HAWC Program screams through the sky

SpaceWar.com reports: “The joint DARPA and U.S. Air Force Hypersonic Airbreathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) completed yet another successful flight test. The Lockheed Martin version of the missile, with its Aerojet Rocketdyne scramjet, capped a program that accomplished all of its initial objectives. It was the final flight test for HAWC, which is providing critical data to inform Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) hypersonic technology maturation efforts.

‘This month’s flight added an exclamation point to the most successful hypersonic airbreathing flight test program in US history,’ said Walter Price, an Air Force deputy for the HAWC program. ‘The things we’ve learned from HAWC will certainly enhance future U.S. Air Force capabilities.’

The Lockheed Martin missile again flew at speeds greater than Mach 5, higher than 60,000 feet, and farther than 300 nautical miles. This latest flight demonstrated improved capabilities and performance. The nation’s hypersonic portfolio now has two feasible hypersonic airbreathing missile designs (Lockheed Martin and Raytheon) to improve and mature in the future…”

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