The US Air Force reported a failed test to launch an AGM-183A ARRW hypersonic missile, writes CNN.
It was supposed to be launched from a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber.
“However, the missile failed to complete the launch procedure,” and remained on the plane, which returned with it to Edwards AFB in California, the US Air Force said in a statement.
The military plans to study the reasons for the failure, “learn a lesson from it” and try to launch the missile again. They expect it to be able to accelerate to speeds 20 times the speed of sound, writes CNN.
In September 2020, the US military successfully tested two prototype hypersonic missiles. It was about rockets with atmospheric jet engines developed by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. These missiles did not fly on their own. They have been tested for loads and the ability to withstand speeds up to five times the speed of sound under the bottom of the carrier aircraft.
Later, the Pentagon reported that hypersonic weapons will enter service with the US ground forces in 2023. According to former US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, hypersonic weapons are “at the top of the task list” of the US Army. Unprecedented human and financial resources are directed to its development, he noted.
