U.S. Air Force Selects Raytheon Missiles & Defense, Northrop Grumman to Deliver First Hypersonic Air-breathing Missile
September 26, 2022 | Raytheon Missiles & DefenseEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business, in partnership with Northrop Grumman, has been selected to develop the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile for the U.S. Air Force (USAF). HACM is a first-of-its-kind weapon developed in conjunction with the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE), a U.S. and Australia project arrangement.
Under this contract, the Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Northrop Grumman team will deliver operationally ready missiles to the USAF.
"Raytheon Missiles & Defense continues to be at the forefront of hypersonic weapon and air-breathing technology development," said Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon Missiles & Defense. "With advanced threats emerging around the globe, the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile will provide our warfighters a much-needed capability."
The Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is an air-breathing, scramjet powered munition. Scramjet engines use high vehicle speed to forcibly compress incoming air before combustion, which enables sustained flight at hypersonic speeds – Mach 5 or greater. By traveling at these speeds, hypersonic weapons, like HACM, are able to reach their targets more quickly than similar traditional missiles, allowing them to potentially evade defensive systems.
"The Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile creates a new class of strategically important weapons for the U.S. military," said Mary Petryszyn, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Defense Systems. "Our scramjet propulsion technology is ushering in a new era for faster, more survivable and highly capable weapons."
Raytheon Technologies and Northrop Grumman have been working together since 2019 to develop, produce and integrate Northrop Grumman's scramjet engines onto Raytheon's air-breathing hypersonic weapons. Their combined efforts enable both companies to produce air-breathing hypersonic weapons, the next generation of tactical missile systems.
Suggested Items
Saab Announces Plans for New Munitions Facility in U.S.
04/03/2024 | SaabSaab announced plans to build a new munitions facility in the U.S., continuing the company’s strong investment and growth domestically.
Arlon EMC Receives IPC-4101 QPL Recertification
03/20/2024 | Arlon Electronic MaterialsArlon Electronic Materials has successfully completed an intensive two-day recertification audit by IPC Validation Services that examined Arlon’s manufacturing processes and testing procedures to assure that they are in conformance to the requirements of IPC-4101E-WAM1, the Specification for Base Materials for Rigid and Multilayer Printed Boards.
Orbit International Electronics Group Reports Bookings for February 2024 in Excess of $2,000,000
03/14/2024 | Globe NewswireOrbit International Corp., an electronics manufacturer and software solution provider, announced that its Electronics Group (OEG) reported bookings for the month of February 2024 in excess of $2,000,000.
U.S. Space Force Awards Boeing WGS-12 Communications Satellite Production Contract
03/07/2024 | BoeingBoeing received a $439.6 million contract to build the 12th Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) communications satellite for U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command.
IPC Releases Newest List of Standards Updates, Revisions
02/20/2024 | IPCEach quarter, IPC releases a list of standards that are new or have been updated. To view a complete list of newly published standards and standards revisions, translations, proposed standards for ballot, final drafts for industry review, working drafts, and project approvals, visit ipc.org/status.