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25 March 2024
by Zach Rosenberg & Akhil Kadidal
US B-52 Stratofortress crews look at an AGM-183 ARRW during a hypersonic weapon familiarisation briefing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on 27 February. The yellow bands on the missile indicate that it is a live round. (USAF/Staff Sgt. Pedro Tenorio)
The US Air Force (USAF) launched the last AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) on 17 March, completing the hypersonic missile’s formal test programme. ARRW has a chequered test history, and although the test likely succeeded in meeting its goals, the USAF has yet to decide whether it will continue the programme.
“This test launched a full prototype operational hypersonic missile and focused on the ARRW’s end-to-end performance,” a USAF spokesperson told
Janes
on 21 March. “While we won’t discuss specific test objectives, this test acquired valuable, unique data and was intended to further a range of hypersonic programmes. We also validated and improved our test and evaluation capabilities for continued development of advanced hypersonic systems.”
The USAF statement on the 17 March test is virtually identical to the one that followed the second-to-last ARRW launch on 12 October 2023. The results of that test have not been publicly released.
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