US Navy, partners soar ahead in CCA drone development
The United States Navy just took another major step forward on its path to pair unmanned aircraft with piloted planes. The Navy is working closely with the United States Air Force to develop Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), also known as loyal wingmen.
In early November 2024, Navy Air Vehicle Pilots stationed in Maryland were able to launch and fly an MQ-20 Avenger that was on the other side of the country in California. The demonstration proved the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control Station, or UMCS, was all but ready for action.
The backbone of the UMCS is Lockheed Martin Skunk Works’ MDCX, or Multi-Domain Combat System. Lockheed said the MDCX provides uncrewed vehicle autonomy, mission planning and command and control capability in a proven, secure package.
For the November demo, the MDCX communicated with the Avenger through a proliferated low-earth orbit (pLEO) satellite network. A pLEO uses a large number of small satellites working together, ensuring the mission can continue even if one or more satellites go down.
The MQ-20 Avenger used in the demo is built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. It is widely used as a testing platform for various new technologies the Navy, or other service branches, might want to implement on future unmanned aerial systems. In this case, the Avenger served as a stand-in for the MQ-25 Stingray.
Scheduled to be operational in 2026 and built by Boeing, the Stingray will be the world’s first carrier-based unmanned aircraft. It will initially fly missions for the Navy as an aerial refueler, freeing up some Navy fighters that were performing this role. However, the Stingray could also be equipped with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. Eventually, it could carry munitions as well.
The Navy has big plans for the Stingray and other collaborative combat aircraft still in development. None of these plans will be possible, however, without first validating the foundational concepts, which is why tests like the November flight demonstration are so critical.
As the Russians discovered in Ukraine, it doesn’t matter how ‘cool’ the drone is, if you can’t communicate with it.
One of the pilots in the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Aviation Program, Lt. Steven Wilster, said that not only was it great to be a part of history, but everyone involved in the demonstration “is paving the way for integrating critical unmanned capability across the joint force to combat the high-end threat our warfighters face today and in the future.”
Lockheed Martin unveils extreme-range missile: Weapon of the week
Lockheed Martin recently took a gamble on a project with no confirmed buyers, borrowing a page from the Andurils of the defense contract world. This gamble led to the creation of the AGM-158-XR, the latest evolution in the AGM line of extreme-range missiles.
Jon Hill, vice president and general manager for Air Dominance and Strike Weapons at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, described the AGM-158-XR as “a story of innovation and anticipating warfighter needs.”
“We are investing in something that we want to provide as an option for the Air Force to consider,” Hill said. “It leverages off the existing JASSM and LRASM lines. It essentially is a stretch version of those missiles. And think of fuel, more fuel, much longer range.”
The AGM-158-XR represents the next step in Lockheed Martin’s AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, known as the JASSM and LRASM. Both were recently purchased by the Air Force in large quantities, with the contract costing over $3.5 billion, according to the Pentagon.
Introduced at this year’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference, the XR can carry more fuel and a larger payload and can be fired from greater distances, increasing the safety factor for pilots.
“It allows us to go in and digitize the areas where it makes sense,” Hill said. “The benefit to JASSM and the LRASM and future weapons is that we will have digitized, which is part of the whole model-based system engineering approach for future weapons.”
Despite its size, the XR can be flown on almost every platform in the Department of Defense’s hangar, except for the F-16. Its jet-black paint job is not just for aesthetics; it makes it harder for adversaries to discern its shape, size and weight.
“If you just think very simply of what a white outer mold line might look like, versus something that’s painted dark, it’s much harder for adversaries, or anybody else that may be looking on a flight line or in the air to really understand shape and size and weight,” Hill said.
While full details of the XR are not yet publicly known, a Lockheed Martin representative said it could be test-flown in 2026. However, it is still several years away from production.
Filling in capability gaps with Lockheed Martin’s hypersonic weapon: The Mako
The proliferation of hypersonic missiles and the Unites States’ position in the world relative to its near-peer adversaries presents an ongoing discussion over what weapons to prioritize and what gaps to close. Lockheed Martin’s director of Air Dominance and Strike Weapons Advanced Programs, Scott “Fish” Fisher, recently visited with Ryan Robertson to discuss Lockheed’s latest development, the Mako.
“The Mako is the fastest shark in the ocean,” Fisher said. “We started this seven years ago, coming up with a clever name for it. More importantly, we identified capability gaps in the United States Navy and Marine Corps’ operational tests. We knew there were some capability gaps, which is a fancy way of saying requirements. If there is a gap, we want to close it. That becomes a big requirement.”
Fisher explained that the Mako, developed with a $150 million investment over seven years, is a hypersonic weapon designed to be multi-mission, multi-platform, and multi-domain.
“Multi-mission means taking out ships, tanks, air defenses, really any mission you can think of,” he said. “Multi-platform means this weapon can hang on anything with 30-inch lugs, fitting on F-18, F-16, F-15, all bombers, and mobility platforms like C-17 and C-130. Multi-domain means it can be air-launched, surface-launched from the ocean, ground-launched from the land, or subsurface-launched from a submarine.”
The Mako missile weighs 1,300 pounds, has a diameter of 13.5 inches, a 130-pound warhead, and is 13 feet long. Fisher emphasized its versatility and power, describing it as “the One Ring to rule them all.”
Addressing concerns about China’s hypersonic weapons, Fisher explained, “Mach 5 is about 50 miles a minute, roughly a mile a second. The Mako differs from the Chinese version by its multi-mission and multi-platform capabilities.”
Lockheed Martin
Fisher confirmed that Lockheed Martin has been ready for the past 18 months to move into production.
“We have been ready to move out rapidly, whether through the traditional engineering, manufacturing, and decision phase or rapid prototyping,” Fisher said. “We have identified global supply chains and kept our domestic partners up to speed. Additive manufacturing has revolutionized production, reducing time and cost significantly.”
As a former fighter pilot, Fisher expressed his passion for the Mako.
“This was the weapon I always wanted. I made a promise to my junior officers, now commanding officers of fighter squadrons, to get the best equipment to them,” he said. “There are storm clouds on the horizon, and we want to ensure peace through strength.”
Fisher’s commitment to delivering the Mako to the warfighter underscores the importance of advancing hypersonic weapon capabilities in maintaining national security.
Going hypersonic with the Mako missile: Weapons and Warfare
This week on Weapons and Warfare, the team goes hypersonic. Host Ryan Robertson talked with one of the decision-makers behind Lockheed Martin’s entry into the race: the Mako Multi-Mission Hypersonic Missile, a stand-off hypersonic weapon designed to fit the F-35A/C and F-22A.
Also featured in this episode:
The secretary of defense heads to Germany for a meeting with allies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
DOD withholds $5,000,000 on each new F-35.
Take a ride in a U-2 chase car.
Weapon of the Week: Operation Hard Kill and the focus on anti-drone defensive systems.
You can subscribe to the Weapons and Warfare podcast on the platform of your choosing here.
Alleged 9/11 mastermind agrees to plea deal to avoid death penalty
The alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 attack and two accomplices reached a plea deal with prosecutors. And former President Donald Trump sparks controversy with comments made about Vice President Kamala Harris at a conference of Black journalists. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024.
Alleged 9/11 mastermind agrees to plea deal in exchange for life in prison
The alleged mastermind terrorist behind plotting the 9/11 attacks against the U.S. has pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. The Department of Defense said Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his two accomplices accused of planning the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil have agreed to plead guilty in exchange for life in prison.
The pre-trial agreement allows them all to escape being sentenced to death, something that is upsetting some families of 9/11 victims. Prosecutors first notified impacted families of the plea deal reached before it went public.
BREAKING: Pentagon announces that Guantanamo that three of the five 9/11 defendants, including mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, have reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Harris is running unopposed and has already been endorsed by most of the Democratic delegates. She also picked up the endorsement of the United Auto Workers on Wednesday, July 31, giving her the support of one of the country’s largest unions.
I am honored to receive the endorsement of the United Auto Workers. From walking picket lines to taking on big banks, I have spent my entire career fighting for unions and working families—and, as President, I will continue to deliver for organized labor. https://t.co/CQc4K0YOBW
Voting on the virtual roll call ends on Monday, Aug. 5. It’s the same day Harris is expected to announce her running mate. They will then start a series of side-by-side campaigning in battleground states, with their first official event together scheduled in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
On Thursday, Trump’s vice presidential pick Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, will be touring the southern border, and Harris will speak at the funeral of Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
Trump sparks controversy after questioning Kamala Harris’ racial identity
Former President Donald Trump attended a conference for Black journalists in Chicago on Wednesday, July 31, that’s creating the most buzz on the campaign trail Thursday, Aug. 1 morning. Trump made controversial remarks after being asked if he agrees with Republicans on Capitol Hill who have said the vice president was a “DEI hire.”
“Do you believe that Vice President Kamala Harris is only on the ticket because she is a Black woman?” ABC News’ Rachel Scott asked him.
“Well, I can say no,” Trump said. “I think it’s maybe a little bit different. So, I’ve known her a long time indirectly, not directly very much, and she was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black. And now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”
“She has always identified as a Black woman,” Scott interjected. “She went to a historically Black college.”
“You know what, I respect either one,” Trump said “I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t. Because she was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden, she made a turn and she went, she became a Black person.”
“We all here remember what those four years were like,” Harris said. “And today we were given yet another reminder. This afternoon, Donald Trump spoke at the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists, and it was the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better. The American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us. They are an essential source of our strength.”
During her daily press conference, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to Trump’s comment, saying “it’s insulting.”
The former president defended his comments on his Truth Social platform, saying the questions he was being asked were “rude and nasty” and “often in the form of a statement” rather than question.
The questions were Rude and Nasty, often in the form of a statement, but we CRUSHED IT!@realDonaldTrump Donald Trump Truth Social 03:31 PM EST 07/31/24 pic.twitter.com/wetj11CoG0
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 31, 2024
Some Black Republican lawmakers have also jumped in to defend him — like Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt. Hunt posted a statement on his own Truth Social account reading in part, “He stood strong in the face of vicious attacks and gotcha questions, because that’s what leaders do.”
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., also commented on the former president’s remarks in a post on X.
“Fostering tough conversations and debate is how we make America great again for all Americans,” Donalds said. “Unlike Kamala Harris, President Trump is not afraid of going into any venue, any time, anywhere.”
Unlike Kamala Harris, President Trump is not afraid of going into any venue, any time, anywhere.
Today at the NABJ Convention, President Trump took the incoming fire from hostile reporters, held firm, and articulated his plan to Make America Great Again for ALL AMERICANS. pic.twitter.com/KNEw5yaLmi
Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother. She attended the historically Black Howard University and is a member of the nation’s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Meanwhile, a debate between the two remains up in the air. Trump has voiced wanting a venue change and said he “probably will” debate Harris, but could also “make a case for not.”
Report: Iran’s supreme leader issues order for Iran to strike Israel
Tensions are rising in the Middle East following the assassination of a senior Hamas leader in Iran. Hamas claims an Israeli missile hit the house of political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The New York Times reported that with the hit happening on Iranian soil, the country’s supreme leader has reportedly issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, citing three Iranian officials briefed on the order.
Haniyeh was the Hamas negotiator for a possible hostage deal with Israel. Many fear that deal is now dead.
The strike on Haniyeh came just hours after an Israeli airstrike killed a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon.
Breaking this morning: The Israeli military announced it had killed top Hamas military leader Muhammad Deif during a strike in Gaza earlier in July. Deif is believed to have been one of the masterminds behind the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel.
‘Weapons and Warfare’ goes inside Lockheed Martin’s F-35 assembly facility
In 2001, the Department of Defense awarded Lockheed Martin the contract to develop the F-35 fighter jet to replace aging aircraft. The jet is manufactured in three different variants: one for the Marine Corps, one for the Air Force and one for the Navy.
In a special edition of “Weapons and Warfare,” Straight Arrow News’ Ryan Robertson recently got to take a tour inside the Fort Worth, Texas facility that makes these fighter jets.
You can find this special edition of “Weapons and Warfare” right here.
Katie Ledecky ties record for most gold medals by female swimmer
Team USA now has won five Olympic gold medals in Paris, adding one more to its count after Wednesday’s events — and it was a historic one. Swimmer Katie Ledecky won the women’s 1,500 meter freestyle. She finished more than 10 seconds ahead of her competition to win her eighth Olympic gold medal.
With the victory, Ledecky tied the record for most gold medals by a female swimmer. It was also her 12th Olympic medal of any kind, which tied yet another record.
Ledecky is not done yet. She has a chance to break those records. She’ll be competing in the 4×200 meter relay Thursday, Aug. 1, and the 800 meter freestyle later this week.
Inside the F-35 Lightning jet assembly line: Weapons and Warfare
This episode of Weapons and Warfare lifts the curtain on the Lockheed Martin F-35 assembly facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The manufacturing team finishes a new jet every three days. It then gets passed on to the next team, before eventually making its way to its new owner. The Weapons and Warfare team got an up-close look at the F-35 as it gets assembled and spoke with some of the people responsible for bringing the jets from the assembly line to the frontlines.
The F-35 is steeped in history. Its nickname, the Lightning Two, comes from Lockheed’s P-38 Lightning, a twin-piston engined fighter jet the Army Air Corps flew during World War II.
Nearly 50 years later, the F-35 emerged from a joint strike fighter program that sought to replace the F-16, the F/A-18, the A-10, the F-117 and the Harrier. To do that, engineers came up with three versions of the F-35 that employ stealth technology:
The Air Force’s F-35A is capable of conventional takeoffs and landings.
The Marine Corps’ F-35B is designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings on amphibious assault ships.
The Navy’s F-35C is built for carrier-based operations.
The Department of Defense awarded Lockheed Martin the development contract in 2001. With three versions of the jet required to fit each branch’s specific needs, it took nearly a decade of testing before the Marine Corps took delivery of its first F-35B. A little more than a year later, the Air Force got the keys to its initial F-35A. Finally, in February 2019, the Navy received its first F-35C.
“The plant is producing more than 150 airplanes a year,” Edward “Steve” Smith, Lockheed Martin’s director of F-35 domestic business, said. “We now to deliver to our 18 different customers and counting. We’ve got new captures going on all the time. And our government is in negotiation with countries both in Europe and the Indo-PACOM Theater for delivering this catered world class capability to them.”
F-35 combines capabilities from its predecessors
A side-by-side comparison of the F-35 to its closest cousins, the fourth-generation F-16 and the F/A-18, reveals some interesting details. It is actually slower than its air force predecessor. It has more range than the F-16, but less than the F/A-18. The F-35 can climb as high as the F/A-18 and a little higher than the F-16.
However, the F-35 stands out because it is armed with a superior suite of sensors, when combined with six onboard cameras, gives the pilot a much bigger picture of the battle space.
Most importantly, the F-35 employs stealth technology, not only in exterior design, internal as well. All weapons and fuel tanks are internal, reducing its radar signal so much that the jet is essentially a ghost to opposition forces.
Production challenges delay delivery
A global network of more than 1,900 commercial partners from 48 states and 10 countries play a role in the F-35’s production. They produce about 156 new jets every year, but there are also challenges.
In May, the Government Accountability Office revealed the Fort Worth facility was running out of space to park F-35s, jets the government would not take delivery of until a hardware and software upgrade known as the Technology Refresh 3, or TR-3, could be installed.
The upgrade includes improved displays, better computer memory and more processing power. TR-3 was originally scheduled to begin installation in April 2023, but software problems and difficulties integrating it with the new hardware meant parking new aircraft and waiting for testing.
The scheduled Block 4 upgrade to expand the jet’s weapon-carrying capacity and enhance its electronic warfare capabilities compounded issues because it cannot happen without TR-3.
In July 2024, things changed. After the F-35 joint program office determined operational units could safely fly with a truncated version of TR-3, deliveries resumed with what the Air Force calls a phased approach, with a final goal of delivering F-35s with full TR-3 combat capabilities in 2025. An Alabama Air National Guard unit and Nellis Air Force Base were the first recipients.
Before delivery, Lockheed Martin test pilots put each jet through rigorous testing. The pilots were some of the best F-16 pilots, and now, they make sure the F-35 jets are up to par.
Scott “Shark” McLaren, one of the test pilots, said the new jets’ capabilities build off what an experience pilot already knows.
“Now you have a capability, an airplane that can do those same missions, but you have an airplane that can do those same missions and more,” McLaren said. “And oh, by the way, it’s the pilot that has that same training and level that went into the F-16. Put them into this airplane that has more capabilities. Well, now they’re able to perform up here, and now we’re just talking from a different level altogether.”
In-flight technology expands for faster data processing
In addition to the technology and data capabilities integrated in the plane, the new series of helmets also provides real-time data to pilots and ground crews. The carbon fiber GenTex shell is fitted with the Collins Aerospace helmet-mounted display system. It is a first-of-its-kind technology with a $400,000 price tag.
The heads up display, or HUD, is now built into the helmet rather than affixed in the cockpit. Night vision and visual targeting are also built in, which means the pilot can track a target by looking at it.
“I know that now my imagery, everything that’s going to come out of these oculars, these projectors up at the top, are going to be reflected off of my visor and come right back into my eyes,” McLaren said. “Now I have the information that’s very usable, and from the outside world, very usable on the inside of the cockpit. But it’s not, that’s not just it. So now I have all the other sensors, my radar etc., and everything coming in. I have it on my display out in front, but when i want to translate it from this two dimensional display into the real world, it’s done automatically for me through fusion. And now I just move my helmet around and I can see from what’s on my two dimensional display, I can see it translated into the real world based on where I move my helmet.”
Before military pilots take flight with the F-35 and this new technology, they jump in simulators where test pilots like McLaren can show them how to use all of the new tools available.
Explore the F-35A
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AI agents go nose-to-nose with human pilots in real-world dogfight
For the first time in the history of jets, artificial intelligence and humans, an AI pilot flew a fighter jet head-to-head against a human pilot in the real world. The test took place sometime in 2023.
Pulling off the feat off was a collaborative effort between several government agencies including the Air Force Research Lab, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Air Force Test Center, and the Air Force Test Pilot School. Hitting the milestone also required help from industry partners like Lockheed Martin, EpiSci and Shield AI.
The teams worked together to put AI agents at the controls of the X-62A Vista. The plane is a test aircraft based on an F-16 airframe.
“The X-62A is an incredible platform, not just for research and advancing the state of tests, but also for preparing the next generation of test leaders,” Col. James Valpiani, commandant of the Test Pilot School, said. “When ensuring the capability in front of them is safe, efficient, effective and responsible, industry can look to the results of what the X-62A [Air Combat Evolution] team has done as a paradigm shift. We’ve fundamentally changed the conversation by showing this can be executed safely and responsibly.”
In less than a year, the project’s partners went from installing live AI agents into the X-62A, to actually handing over the controls in the first human vs. AI dogfights. More than 100,000 lines of code in the flight-critical software were updated during testing.
It took time to teach the AI agents the rules of the sky and how to operate within the domain under real-world conditions. Over the course of 21 test flights, the machine-based learning tools were taught how to perform defensive maneuvers before going into the more advanced high-aspect, nose-to-nose engagements.
During the dogfights, human pilots came within 2,000 feet of the AI-piloted Vista while moving at around 1,200 miles per hour.
“The potential for autonomous air-to-air combat has been imaginable for decades, but the reality has remained a distant dream up until now,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said. “In 2023, the X-62A broke one of the most significant barriers in combat aviation. This is a transformational moment, all made possible by breakthrough accomplishments of the X-62A [Air Combat Evolution] team.”
Secretary Kendall will get a front seat to the new tech when he takes a ride in the AI-piloted plane later this year.
While teaching an artificial intelligence to dogfight, and actually having that intelligence perform the maneuvers in the real-world is absolutely monumental, the Air Force’s chief test Pilot said focusing solely on that aspect misses the point of the overall moment.
“Dogfighting was the problem to solve so we could start testing autonomous artificial intelligence systems in the air,” Bill Gray said. “Every lesson we’re learning applies to every task you could give to an autonomous system.”
Neither the AFRL nor DARPA revealed who won the dogfights between human test pilots and their artificial counterparts. However, when AI agents went up against humans in a simulated environment, the AI agents swept the competition.
Sea, Air, Space 2024 hints at future of Navy, Marines: Weapons and Warfare
This week on Weapons and Warfare, we’re reporting from Sea, Air, Space 2024 in National Harbor, Maryland. Hosted by the U.S. Navy League, this annual exposition brings together America’s maritime forces and commercial partners as top officials from the Navy and the Marine Corps share insights on the current state of their services. Plus, host Ryan Robertson explores the weapon of the week aboard the Prowler by Metal Shark.
Also featured in this episode:
An update on the return to service for the V-22 Osprey.
New details on Lockheed Martin’s Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM).
Saildrone and Thales Australia ink a deal for long-range undersea surveillance.
And catch up with Brandon Tseng to learn about some big developments at Shield AI.
You can subscribe to the Weapons and Warfare podcast on the platform of your choosing here.
New Navy unmanned aircraft may be a game changer: Weapon of the week
Look to the skies to see what the U.S. Navy hopes will help carrier air wings and carrier strike groups maximize their air power. The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray is an unmanned aircraft that can act as a flying gas station for the Navy’s F-18s and F-35s. The aircraft can also gather intelligence and has surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
The MQ-25 is the result of years of engineering and testing. Boeing released a video announcing the project in April 2018. In February, less than four years later, Boeing handed over the first Stingray to the Navy for testing. Now, the Stingray is headed to sea for its first test aboard an aircraft carrier.
“We’re calling this the unmanned carrier aviation demonstration,” Matthew Savage, Boeing UCAD test team lead, said. “To look at how the MQ operates on the flight-deck both from propulsion testing and our human factors evaluation. This is a historic moment for the Navy and for the Boeing Company, because this is the first evaluation of this vehicle’s ability to operate with the fleet. ”
Boeing beat out General Atomic and Lockheed Martin for an $805 million contract for the right to build the Stingray.
Providing all goes as planned, the Navy’s deal includes four more Stingrays for the fleet, with plans to equip all Nimitz-class and Gerald R. Ford-class carriers with the ability to operate MQ-25s.
US fires off hypersonic missile test amid pressure from China, Russia
In what may be the weapon’s final test, the U.S. Air Force fired a Lockheed Martin Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon from a B-52 Bomber on Sunday, March 17. The test happened over the Pacific near Guam. So far, the Air Force is being tight-lipped on how fast this version of a hypersonic missile flew.
Based off previous tests, the missile should be capable of reaching speeds five times the speed of sound. Despite staying quiet on the details, the Air Force contends that the latest test provided it with valuable data to analyze and will reportedly further hypersonic weapons research.
The Air Force maintains that the missile test was successful. However, the future of the Air Force’s hypersonic attack missile is a little uncertain. The Air Force’s proposed fiscal year 2025 budget requested $517 million to keep developing the weapon, but no funds to actually purchase any.
The Air Force stated that a final decision on the future of the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon will be based on the latest test flight.
Hypersonic missiles are important for the U.S. For starters, China and Russia have hypersonic missiles, and the U.S. doesn’t, which is a capability gap for the U.S. military.
As far as the actual missiles themselves, hypersonic missiles can be launched far enough away that enemy radar won’t see the launch. Hypersonic missiles also travel at speeds of at least Mach 5 or five times the speed of sound. Some missiles have reportedly reached speeds of Mach 8.
In 2017, Moscow reportedly added the Kinzhal Missile to its arsenal, and Russia became the first nation ever to use hypersonic weapons in war when it launched them at Ukraine. However, U.S. Patriot Missile batteries were able to defend against them.
Russia got started on its hypersonic program through Soviet-era research, which started in the early 2000s. The research began after the U.S. scrapped a 1972 anti-ballistic missile treaty, which limited Moscow’s production of anti-ballistic missiles, in an effort to stop the Cold War arms race.