U.S. “Hypersonic Air Breathing Weapons Concept” Successfully Takes Flight

Related Video Above: Hypersonic Weapons

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

The successful firing of the Hypersonic Air Breathing Weapons Concept represents what could be called a breakthrough accomplishment in the Pentagon’s massive effort to fast-track, test, prototype and ultimately deploy hypersonic weapons.

The effort has taken on urgency in recent years, as senior U.S. weapons developers have specifically said that the U.S. is behind both Russia and China in the hypersonic arms race. However, with an accelerated effort and recent progress, the gap is closing quickly.

Hypersonic Air Breathing Weapons Concept (HAWC) Scramjet Engines

The HAWC is a DARPA-Air Force weapons program, with industry support from both Raytheon and Northrop Grumman.

As cited by DARPA, Air-Breathing systems like HAWC use a scramjet engine to generate thrust — and propel the air vehicle across long distances to a target. This is quite challenging to accomplish, because while it may be possible to quickly thrust or propel a weapon or air vehicle to hypersonic speeds, “sustaining” those speeds can be an entirely different matter.

While engineered to reach previously unattainable levels of propulsion, scramjet engine technology aligns with the technical configuration of existing high-power engine systems. This includes taking in a high-speed air flow, compressing the air and then igniting it with gas or some kind of propellant to generate thrust.