Missiles hypersoniques

[Deltafan]

Article Journal de l'aviation, avec le titre : Raytheon et Northrop-Grumman remportent un nouveau contrat de la DARPA pour avancer dans les missiles de croisière hypersoniques

https://www.journal-aviation.com/actual ... 57405.html

Il est question du démonstrateur de missile de croisière hypersonique HAWC (Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept), devant conduire à la production du missile de croisière d'attaque hypersonique HACM. Le HACM est prévu d'être opérationnel en 2027 et pourra, initialement, être lancé d'un F-15E Strike Eagle.

[Deltafan]

Article Defense News, avec le titre : Kratos, Hypersonix team up on hypersonic systems for US market

https://www.defensenews.com/battlefield ... us-market/

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions and Australia’s Hypersonix have formed a partnership to integrate their hypersonic vehicle and propulsion systems and expand their footprint within the U.S. national security market.

Under the agreement, Kratos committed to initially buy 20 of Hypersonix’s DART AE hypersonic vehicles once the system is completed and demonstrated. The U.S.-based company will integrate its Zeus line of propulsion systems with DART AE.
(...)
The move also will expand Hypersonix’s presence in the U.S., following a contract award in March from the Defense Innovation Unit. The Pentagon’s commercial technology hub selected DART AE for its Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities program, which aims to leverage commercial progress developing reusable, low-cost hypersonic test vehicles to help alleviate strain on government test infrastructure.

Hypersonix expects DART AE to fly for the first time in 2024.
(...)

[Deltafan]

Article A&C, avec le titre : Stratolaunch a fait voler Talon TA-1

https://air-cosmos.com/article/stratola ... ta-1-68565

(...)
Stratolaunch a annoncé que le premier vol motorisé du véhicule d'essai Talon-A, TA-1, a été réalisé avec succès. Ce premier vol représente une étape importante dans le développement de la première capacité d'essai hypersonique réutilisable financée par le secteur privé. Les principaux objectifs de l'essai en vol consistaient à assurer le largage en toute sécurité du véhicule TA-1, l'allumage du moteur, l'accélération, la montée soutenue en altitude et l'amerrissage contrôlé.
(...)
nous avons atteint des vitesses supersoniques élevées proches de Mach 5 et recueilli une grande quantité de données, ce qui représente une valeur incroyable pour nos clients", a déclaré Zachary Krevor Président-directeur général de Stratolaunch. "Notre objectif avec ce vol était de poursuivre notre approche de réduction des risques pour le premier vol réutilisable du TA-2 et de rester fidèles à notre engagement de fournir une valeur maximale à nos clients. Nous sommes impatients d'examiner les données de l'essai d'aujourd'hui et de les utiliser pour planifier nos prochaines étapes en vue du premier vol du TA-2 dans le courant de l'année", ajoute Zachary Krevor.

Parallèlement aux essais du TA-1, Stratolaunch progresse dans la fabrication du TA-3, le deuxième véhicule entièrement réutilisable de la gamme de produits Talon-A. La société commence également à apporter des modifications à son système de transport par avion. La société commence également à modifier sa plate-forme de lancement supplémentaire, le Spirit of Mojave, un Boeing 747-400 modifié.

[Deltafan]

Article Defense News, avec le titre : Air Force budget backs Raytheon hypersonic, no Lockheed missile funds

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/03 ... ile-funds/

The U.S. Air Force’s proposed fiscal 2025 budget requests $517 million to keep developing its Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile — but the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon’s future is looking dim. The service’s FY25 budget, released Monday, includes no procurement nor research and development funding for Lockheed Martin’s ARRW. The service has one final all-up round test planned for the weapon soon and will wrap up its rapid prototyping program this year.
(...)
Lt. Gen. Dale White, military deputy for Hunter’s office, told lawmakers Tuesday that ARRW has been “a categorical success to date,” and said a final decision on the program will be based on an analysis of its final flight test.

ARRW’s future has been in doubt since a March 2023 test failed. Shortly after, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told lawmakers the program had “struggled” in testing. Kendall also said in that hearing the service was more committed to HACM, which he said had been “reasonably successful” and would be compatible with more of the service’s aircraft. The day after Kendall testified to Congress, Hunter, the Air Force’s assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, told lawmakers the service didn’t plan to pursue follow-on procurement of ARRW after its prototyping concluded. Budget documents released Monday said HACM would be able to carry out “vastly different trajectories” than a boost-glide missile such as ARRW, and its additional complexity would make it more of a threat against adversaries. HACM is also smaller than ARRW, which makes it easier to mount on more aircraft, the documents said.
(...)

Hunter said at the McAleese conference that while HACM is still a so-called middle tier of acquisition program meant to rapidly develop prototypes, he has stressed to industry that the Air Force intends to field such capabilities one day — and industry should act like the government is working on a production program. “[T]he goal is to develop a fielded capability that we will move into production on the most rapid time frame that we can reasonably and prudently carry out and execute,” Hunter said. He later told reporters there are now no testing dates set for HACM.

The Army and Navy are also expecting delays to their joint hypersonic program, as testing has fallen behind schedule. The Army calls its ground-launched missile the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, and the Navy calls its sea-launched version Conventional Prompt Strike. The two services had planned to buy hypersonic missiles in 2025, but those moves are now on hold to allow testing to catch up.

[Deltafan]

Article en français (OPEX 360) sur ARRW et HACM :

https://www.opex360.com/2024/03/20/lus- ... e-de-guam/

[Deltafan]

Article Naval News, avec le titre : Lockheed Martin’s New Mako Hypersonic Missile Breaks Cover

https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/se ... c-missile/

Lockheed Martin and CoAspire unveiled the new Mako Multi-Mission Hypersonic Missile at Sea Air Space 2024 this week.

(...)
According to Lockheed Martin officials, this is the first time the hypersonic has been publicly displayed since the beginning of its development over seven years ago. A graphic played by the company at the CoAspire booth shows what seems to be a U.S. Air Force F-35A launching six of the hypersonic missiles in quick succession from both external and internal mounts.
(...)
the Mako was originally Lockheed Martin’s offer for the U.S. Air Force’s Stand In Attack Weapon (SiAW) program, which aimed to provide aircraft the ability to strike against adversary assets that make up an anti-access/area denial network. Targets listed in budgetary documents include missile and air-defense systems, the latter of which Loy specified in his explanation of Mako’s multi-mission targeting.

While Lockheed Martin received several contracts over the years from the SiAW programs, such as a $18 million contract last February, Northrop Grumman ultimately won the program in a $705 million contract last year. It should be noted that Northrop Grumman’s submission is reportedly based on their work with the Navy’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER) program. Given this baseline, SiAW is expected to reach out to at least 300-350 kilometers.

According to Lockheed Martin concept graphics, six Mako Multi-Mission Hypersonic Missiles can be mounted on an F-35.
(...)
the system would be at least Mach 5 and that the concept missile being shown off at SAS 2024 was the same one used for fit checks on aircraft.
(...)

The Mako shown off at SAS was put onto F-35, F-22, F-16, F-15, F-18, and a Navy P-8. Loy also confirmed that the system could be placed internally into an F-35, with one per bay. Likewise, as seen through their pitch to the US Navy at SAS 2024, Mako can be deployed from aircraft launched from carriers. Loy further stated that “there is nothing precluding the launch of this weapon from surface, ground, or even sub-surface like other weapons,” hinting at the possibility for Mako’s future launch platforms beyond aircraft.

“The world is interested in hypersonic capability and we are interested in providing it to them,” Loy said in regards to the possibility of other customers outside the U.S.
(...)
When asked about where Mako will go, Loy highlighted that their showing at SAS 2024 aims to garner interest and continue its development. However, Mako is “ready to fly, ready now, and is ready to go in scale and into production quickly.”