Current US hypersonic weapons projects. (General)

Firefinder said:
Feel the need to remind people that the RATTLR existed.

RATTLRS - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Was a thing up til like 09 then it disappeared off the face of the earth. Pop up again from a tweet in 2019 before going dark again. Will not be surprise to see it return.
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There's quite a few missiles that faced the axe about a decade ago that were probably at TRL 5/6 and could spawn at short notice. Rattlrs, Hyfly, Arclight, Lrasm-B.
 
rooster said:
bobbymike said:
www.thedrive.com

Navy Mysteriously Cancels Plan To Arm Jets With “Screaming Arrow” Hypersonic Anti-Ship Missile

Three days after it was disclosed, the Navy’s scramjet-powered anti-ship missile program is apparently no more.
www.thedrive.com www.thedrive.com
Ah what??
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To be replaced... by...? -crickets-
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They still have many others on going air launched hypersonic missile programs
HACM: Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile
SPEAR: Supersonic Propulsion Enabled Advanced Ramjet
HyFly 2
THOR-ER: Tactical High-speed Offensive Ramjet for Extended Range
HSWab: Hypersonic strike weapon- air breather

​

 
sferrin said:
Firefinder said:
Feel the need to remind people that the RATTLR existed.

RATTLRS - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Was a thing up til like 09 then it disappeared off the face of the earth. Pop up again from a tweet in 2019 before going dark again. Will not be surprise to see it return.
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Or how about ASALM that they never have the spine to take to completion?
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Bhurki said:
Firefinder said:
Feel the need to remind people that the RATTLR existed.

RATTLRS - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Was a thing up til like 09 then it disappeared off the face of the earth. Pop up again from a tweet in 2019 before going dark again. Will not be surprise to see it return.
Click to expand...
There's quite a few missiles that faced the axe about a decade ago that were probably at TRL 5/6 and could spawn at short notice. Rattlrs, Hyfly, Arclight, Lrasm-B.
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I brought up the Rattlrs since they were talking a missile using a J58 style of engine.

And the Engine used by the Rattlrs was basically a mini J58 bout the size of the Tomahawks with the missile being similar to fit in the MK41 VLS and having around 800 miles of range and cruises at mach 3. Since it was flying very recently I can see them bringing back fast.
 
I was always surprised something wasn't done with that engine. It apparently set a thrust to weight ratio record and I would have thought it would be incredibly useful for an air launched long ranged super sonic missile or even a UAV.
 
Josh_TN said:
I was always surprised something wasn't done with that engine. It apparently set a thrust to weight ratio record and I would have thought it would be incredibly useful for an air launched long ranged super sonic missile or even a UAV.
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Project Mayhem? Lots of possibilities :)
 
I figured most of the energy of the ARRW warhead would have to be kinetic, with perhaps a small burster charge. Looks like that is what they went for. As such I would guess this weapon would be ineffective against hardened targets, though there are plenty of subsonic cruise missiles to address that target class.

The >500 mile range seems like a very low bar to pass for an air launched weapon.
 
Josh_TN said:
I was always surprised something wasn't done with that engine. It apparently set a thrust to weight ratio record and I would have thought it would be incredibly useful for an air launched long ranged super sonic missile or even a UAV.
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And it was just the most recent (at the time) in a long line. Williams International also built one. Then there was an earlier effort here:

TURB-DEM.gif
 
looking at the guidance of ARRW, it seem that the missile is only usable against fixed target
 
Ronny said:
looking at the guidance of ARRW, it seem that the missile is only usable against fixed target
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Moving and rapidly relocatable targets which suggests some sort of rapid ISR to fix a target that may have just moved. That is the first application for these systems. The air-breathing systems will begin to incorporate seekers for other target types but even with the ARRW, LRHW et al the # of candidate fixed targets are likely to continue to exceed the number of available munitions for a long long time until these inventories are fielded. Right now neither the ARRW, nor the LRHS are programs of record so it is a long road to reach an objective inventory.
 
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www.dvidshub.net

Hypersonic Delivery

In March 2021, the U.S. Army began delivering the first prototype hypersonic equipment to Soldiers with the arrival of two training canisters. Hypersonic weapons, capable of flying at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5+), are a new capability that provide a unique...
www.dvidshub.net www.dvidshub.net
 
In March 2021, the U.S. Army began delivering the first prototype hypersonic equipment to Soldiers with the arrival of two training canisters. Hypersonic weapons, capable of flying at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5+), are a new capability that provide a unique combination of speed, maneuverability and altitude to defeat time-critical, heavily-defended and high value targets. Hypersonics is part of the Army’s number one modernization priority of Long Range Precision Fires, and is one of the highest priority modernization areas the Department of Defense is pursuing to ensure continued battlefield dominance. Later in 2021, the Army will deliver all additional ground equipment for the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) prototype battery. LRHW battery fielding will complete in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 with the delivery of live missile rounds. (Courtesy Photo)


www.dvidshub.net

Hypersonic Delivery

In March 2021, the U.S. Army began delivering the first prototype hypersonic equipment to Soldiers with the arrival of two training canisters. Hypersonic weapons, capable of flying at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5+), are a new capability that provide a unique...
www.dvidshub.net www.dvidshub.net
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Is the funding development drop offset by production budget increase?
 

GAO report reveals depth, scope of U.S. hypersonic weapons projects: 70 efforts, $15 billion​

Congressional auditors have identified 70 projects focused on hypersonic weapons research and development backed by $15 billion through 2024 across the U.S. government, shining light into the breadth and scope of a campaign to field a new class of maneuvering ultra-fast weapons with the potential to shape the balance of power between the U.S. military and other major powers such as China and Russia
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A must read. Thanks for sharing.
An interesting unexpected quote, if I may:
Australia also flies the F/A-18. “That means, anything the U.S. Air Force does with Australia automatically builds in a path for connectivity to the U.S. Navy. So they can … help us with connectivity between our services.”[said Michael E. White, the assistant director for hypersonics in the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.[said Michael E. White, the assistant director for hypersonics in the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.]
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A much more relevant point from the article is that if range time is a bottle neck, Australia likely could provide a lot of space in that regard.
 
*How long is the LRHW?*

Also could we get the dimensions of the canisters themselves since images have been revealed now?
bring_it_on said:
www.dvidshub.net

Hypersonic Delivery

In March 2021, the U.S. Army began delivering the first prototype hypersonic equipment to Soldiers with the arrival of two training canisters. Hypersonic weapons, capable of flying at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5+), are a new capability that provide a unique...
www.dvidshub.net www.dvidshub.net
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