Successful test for the US Air Force’s hypersonic missile

After three failed tests, the US Air Force has just successfully completed a test of its AGM-183A hypersonic missile. The US military has not released details on the performance of this missile and its hypersonic glider that can reach a top speed of Mach 20.

The hypersonic missiles are increasingly talked about and the Russian army even exploits them on the battlefields in Ukraine. In any case, several of these missiles have been identified on the ground. Moreover, the Russian air force does not fail to find opportunities to show them ostensibly under the wings of its planes and in particular in Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave overlooking the Baltic Sea. Capable of flying beyond Mach 5, the hypersonic weapon is more difficult to detect due to its evolution at lower altitudes and in-flight maneuvers. These make the trajectory of the missile unpredictable in order to intercept it. It is for this very reason that armies are turning to technologies based on laser cannon or of railgun able to fire in bursts to increase the chances of hitting them. It is moreover with this type of equipment that the Japan intends to protect its territory from an attack by hypersonic missiles.

Among the Americans, until the Russian troops invaded Ukraine, it was research that predominated more than their operational deployment. The conflict gave “a blow of booster » to US Air Force so that these armaments are ready as soon as possible. Thus, on May 14, the American Air Force launched and successfully tested its AGM-183A hypersonic missile from a B-52H Stratofortress from the 419th Flight Test Squadron.

The advanced arms race is accelerating

It was about releasing the missile designed by Lockheed Martin from the wing of the B-52. A launcher then propelled the missile beyond Mach 5. For the rest, the US Air Force did not issue any other details on the speed peak, or the altitude. All we know is that this fourth attempt was the right one, unlike the previous three. It must be said that on paper, the AGM-183A, tested by the Americans, is designed to reach a maximum speed of Mach 20. A velocity which means that temperatures and accelerations are extremely high.

They therefore require new materials and embedded electronic systems that are both robust and reagents to operate the device. This success will have to be confirmed by several other tests this year, so that the weapon is deployed in an operational way in 2023. The glider hypersonic can be transported by B-52 strategic bombers and F-15 fighter bombers. Between the demonstration test of the famous nuclear missile Satan-2the tests of Chinese hypersonic missilesor the firing of North Korean missiles, this acceleration of the cutting-edge arms race due to the conflict in Ukraine reinforces the anxiety-provoking atmosphere of the moment.