Raytheon successfully tested a hypersonic cruise missile for the second time in a row

The U.S. company Raytheon, together with Northrop Grumman, tested a hypersonic cruise missile as part of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) program.

What we know

Raytheon says the project is accelerating weapons development through the use of digital engineering. In preparation, a virtual missile doppelganger has been created that has flown multiple flights in a computer simulation mode.

Virtual tests provide Raytheon and Northrop Grumman with the additional data needed to develop materials and designs that would allow the missile to withstand temperatures and loads during flight at speeds greater than Mach 5 (6174 km/h).

The first test took place in 2021. In the second test, the HAWC prototype rocket was mounted under the wing of an airplane. It climbed to a high altitude and performed the launch. The solid-fuel booster was able to accelerate the rocket to supersonic speed.

For the second test, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman prepared a modified version of the prototype compared to the sample that was tested in 2021. The resulting data will be used to improve virtual models using artificial intelligence, machine learning and Big Data algorithms. This will improve the efficiency of specialists to create a combat version of the hypersonic missile.

Source: Raytheon

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