The HASTE hypersonic missile will launch the DART AE drone, which will be able to reach speeds of more than 8,600 km/h

HASTE hypersonic missile will be used to launch the DART AE drone. This was reported by the company Rocket Lab.

Here's What We Know

In the spring of 2023, Rocket Lab announced the creation of a hypersonic rocket HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron). Two months later, the company was able to successfully complete its first orbital launch.

Now Rocket Lab is preparing to test an unmanned aerial vehicle in the interests of the US Defence Innovation Unit. It is about the drone DART AE, which was developed by the Australian company Hypersonix Launch Systems.

The test will take place as part of the HyCAT (Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testabilities) programme. The aircraft is equipped with a SPARTAN straight-through engine and will be able to reach a speed of Mach 7 (more than 8600 km/h). The launch range will be 1,000 kilometres.

The DART AE cannot take off on its own. That is why it needs a booster, for the role of which the hypersonic rocket company Rocket Lab has been chosen. HASTE will be able to accelerate the aircraft to Mach 5 (6174 km/h).

The purpose of the test is to assess acceleration and verify propulsion system performance. Engineers hope to obtain data on the aircraft's performance at more than five times the speed of sound.

The test will take place at a spaceport in Virginia. The DART AE test launch is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.

Source: Rocket Lab