The U.S. Air Force revealed Monday it had actually effectively carried out a hypersonic weapon test.
In a release, the Air Force stated a B-52H Stratofortress released an Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) off the coast of Southern California Saturday. After separating from the aircraft, the weapon's booster sparked and burned for "predicted period," according to the release, and after that accomplished hypersonic speed-- 5 times greater than the speed of sound.
Saturday's test marks the service's first effective test of the ARRW. The service formerly carried out 3 successive tests that failed, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The 419th Test Squadron and Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California performed the test.
" Our highly-skilled team made history on this first air-launched hypersonic weapon," Lt. Col. Michael Jungquist, the 419th FLTS leader and GPB CTF director, said in a declaration.
The Air Force's Program Executive Officer for Weapons, Brig. Gen. Heath Collins, applauded the group in a statement for "getting rid of the past year's challenges" and getting to this success.
" We are ready to build on what we've found out and continue moving hypersonics forward," Collins said.
The Army, Navy, and DARPA also maintain hypersonic weapons programs.
China and Russia have established hypersonic weapons, and U.S. defense officials have stated that Russia has actually used hypersonics weapons an estimated 10 to 12 times in its intrusion of Ukraine.
But Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley told Congress last week that the way the Russians are using hypersonics hasn't given them much of a battlefield advantage up until now.
" Other than the speed of the weapon in regards to its effect on an offered target, we are not seeing really substantial or game-changing effects to date with the shipment of the small number of hypersonics that the Russians have utilized," Milley said.
