Current US hypersonic weapons projects. (General)

The Air Force awarded Raytheon Missiles and Defense a $985,348,124 contract to develop and demonstrate Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile prototypes, underscoring the U.S. Air Force’s focus on increasing interoperability with allies and partners to stay ahead of strategic competitors.

HACM is an air-launched, scramjet-powered hypersonic weapon designed to hold high-value targets at risk in contested environments from standoff distances.

"HACM is a powerful example of developing and integrating combat capabilities alongside our partners from the beginning," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. "HACM will provide our commanders with tactical flexibility to employ fighters to hold high-value, time-sensitive targets at risk while maintaining bombers for other strategic targets."

In 2020, the U.S. Air Force engaged in a multi-year, bilateral project arrangement with Australia known as the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment to develop air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile prototypes.

The Air Force awarded three 15-month SCIFiRE contracts in June 2021 to Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp., and Raytheon Technologies Corp. to complete preliminary designs of a hypersonic cruise missile.

The HACM program will now operationalize the Raytheon SCIFiRE prototype design for fighter aircraft integration and deliver two leave-behind assets with operational utility.

“We have over a decade of cooperation with our Australian allies in the advancement of hypersonic technologies, and now we will bring that shared knowledge to bear to address urgent national defense requirements,” said Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics.

Through the SCIFiRE agreement, the U.S. and Australia will continue collaborating on HACM design and development, including using Australian test infrastructure for the initial all-up-round flight tests.

Air Vice Marshal Robert Denney, AM, Head of Air Force Capability for the Royal Australian Air Force, said SCIFiRE is providing an opportunity to understand and influence the future of hypersonic weapons development and acquisition.

“SCIFiRE demonstrates our commitment with the U.S. to strengthen capability outcomes, deepen our alliance and strengthen our cooperation as we meet emerging challenges and support regional endeavors.”

The Air Force plans to deliver a HACM capability with operational utility by fiscal year 2027.
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www.af.mil

Air Force announces hypersonic missile contract award

The Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is an air-launched, scramjet-powered hypersonic weapon designed to hold high-value targets at risk in contested environments from standoff distances.
www.af.mil
 
sferrin said:
Interesting tidbit from this week's AW&ST:

View attachment 685018

Always thought the centerline had the same 5k limit as the inboard pylons.
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Based on that screenshot, can we say that HACM absolutely will be <4000lbs in order to enable RAAF F-18 carriage?

I also was unaware of F-15E having a 7500lb capacity, or that AGM-183 was being considered for it (if it ever enters service).
 
news.northropgrumman.com

Northrop Grumman Delivers First GEM 63XL Solid Rocket Boosters to Support Vulcan First Flight

MAGNA, Utah. – Oct. 19, 2022 – (PHOTO RELEASE) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has delivered the first two 63-inch-diameter extended length Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM 63XL) to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The solid rocket boosters will support the...
news.northropgrumman.com news.northropgrumman.com
A total hypothetical question. If you converted an LHA to carry VLS how long of a missile could they carry? Assume cells positioned right along the center line of the ship.
 
bobbymike said:
news.northropgrumman.com

Northrop Grumman Delivers First GEM 63XL Solid Rocket Boosters to Support Vulcan First Flight

MAGNA, Utah. – Oct. 19, 2022 – (PHOTO RELEASE) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has delivered the first two 63-inch-diameter extended length Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM 63XL) to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The solid rocket boosters will support the...
news.northropgrumman.com news.northropgrumman.com
A total hypothetical question. If you converted an LHA to carry VLS how long of a missile could they carry? Assume cells positioned right along the center line of the ship.
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A 60 foot long one easy.

Not that you need one that long.

A Trident is 44 foot stowed and tosses up to 14 RVs over 7k at mach 18.

Just need a new cruiser hull vessel design to take say, 8 Tridents with a set of 80 MK57 VLS on the sides.

Can multipack like four IRCPS into one Trident tube so thats 24 hypersonics glide vehicles per ship.

Plus how ever many actively power hypersonics mussiles you can stuff in the 57s.
 
www.navy.mil

Department of Defense Continues to Advance Hypersonic Capabilities

The Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) and the Army Hypersonic Project Office (AHPO) successfully conducted the second High Operational Tempo for Hypersonics flight campaign on October 26 at 2:30pm
www.navy.mil

https://twitter.com/x/status/1586483134790500355
View: https://twitter.com/USNavy/status/1586483134790500355?t=i1UaISBJqiS0lC6ht60g5w&s=19


www.instagram.com

US Navy on Instagram: "New loadout just dropped.... The Navy Strategic Systems Programs and the Army Hypersonic Project Office successfully conducted the second High Operational Tempo for Hypersonics flight campaign, October 26. Delivering #hyperso

20K likes, 101 comments - usnavy on October 28, 2022: "New loadout just dropped.... The Navy Strategic Systems Programs and the Army Hypersonic Project Office successfully conducted the second High Operational Tempo for Hypersonics flight campaign, October 26. Delivering #hypersonic weapons is...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
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Is that a Terrier-Orion sounding rocket? Also does this have a wikipedia page?

On another note. I was going through a backlog of photocopies I have of articles of interest I made early this year from issues of Aviation Week and Space Technology (AW&ST) from last year that were delayed due to COVID-19 lockdowns closing the public libraries and I found this brief news article:

From "First Take", p8, June 28-July 11, 2021, Volume 183, Number 13:

Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed a full-scale static test of a throttleable solid rocket motor developed to power a variable-range hypersonic missile under the US/Australia SciFIRE program.
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This is the first time I've heard of this and while such a solid-rocket motor design is possible from what I know a throttleable design is mechanically complicated. Does anyone here have any more details or links to more detailed articles?
 
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news.usni.org

Report to Congress on Hypersonic Weapons - USNI News

The following is the Oct. 27, 2022 Congressional Research Service report, Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress. From the report The United States has actively pursued the development of hypersonic weapons—maneuvering weapons that fly at speeds of at least Mach 5—as a part of...
news.usni.org news.usni.org
 
NMaude said:
Is that a Terrier-Orion sounding rocket? Also does this have a wikipedia page?

On another note. I was going through a backlog of photocopies I have of articles of interest I made early this year from issues of Aviation Week and Space Technology (AW&ST) from last year that were delayed due to COVID-19 lockdowns closing the public libraries and I found this brief news article:

From "First Take", p8, June 28-July 11, 2021, Volume 183, Number 13:

Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed a full-scale static test of a throttleable solid rocket motor developed to power a variable-range hypersonic missile under the US/Australia SciFIRE program.
Click to expand...

This is the first time I've heard of this and while such a solid-rocket motor design is possible from what I know a throttleable design is mechanically complicated. Does anyone here have any more details or links to more detailed articles?
Click to expand...
Not familiar with this particular effort but I thought a throttleable solid fuel rocket was a main goal of the DARPA project OpFires.
 
The basic tech doesn't seem to be as much of a break through is is their methodology - 18 million and a matter of several years to develop a testable engine. That's an impressive feat. It seems rather SpaceX-esque: not so much a fundamental technology shift as much as streamlining and optimizing the process and technology to deliver a useful result faster at lower cost and scale. It will likely be greatly outclassed by high end combined cycle defense projects, but it would probably have a lot of low end UAV applications. I seriously question civilian usage but who knows; I never thought SpaceX would routinely recover first stages and get their flight records up to double digits either.
 
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The Defense Dept has said that it plans to increase hypersonic testing tempo using reusable flight test hardware for testing engines, high temp materials, software, aerodynamic designs, etc. Hermeus is probably benefiting from this. (DefenseNews article posted on this thread by bobbymike on Nov8).
Investing in small, nimbler startups that can prototype quickly. It has the added benefit of creating a broader industrial knowledge base that isn't siloed in one company like LockMart. Anyway, that's the theory! StratoLaunch announced on Nov 14, 2002 that they received a contract for their Talon-A hypersonic research vehicle, which probably falls within the Defense Depts plans for more testing. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...-air-force-research-laboratory-301677342.html
 
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A tandem configuration has the ramjet burners downstream of the turbojet engine. A wraparound configuration has the burners within the annular air flow arrangement around the turbojet (burners shown as a "<" in the diagram), according to Developments in High-Speed-Vehicle Propulsion Systems (1996).
I'm wondering if the Hermeus Quarterhorse turbo ramjet uses tandem or wraparound. The diagram looks like tandem, but the tech is proprietary and classified so a lot left out in the pic, so who knows.
 

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@CWilkinson :

Ramjet means subsonic then supersonic flow acceleration, hence a convergent-divergent section.

Aft of the turbojet, there is only an expension nozzle available (at leat, that I can see). We can then confirm that their burner(s) are wrapped around the turbojet engine ;)

But today, they are probably something else than a canular design. Look at the ramjet ignition. It looks like it doesn't mind much to have a sudden start, with a rapidly accelerating flow field at a fairly low Mach number (they are not inside a Supersonic wind tunnel - the exhaust is also very Yellow bright (while the turbojet's exhaust flame was lean blue like hell)).

The flame is also separated, meaning that the combustion is dissimilar from left and right and not sourced from an axial ignition.

The universal flame coloring suggests a flaming process that is constant, instantaneous, volume restrained and... Well, let's have them come forward when they are ready.
 
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