The Air Force fired another all-up round test of the Lockheed Martin-made ARRW, but like a previous test that a top official later admitted fell short of its goals, the service won’t claim that this test met all its objectives.
The test could pave the way for ARRW to be put into production by its manufacturer Lockheed Martin as early as fiscal 2024 — if the weapon's capabilities can overcome the reservations of certain top Air Force leaders, that is.
Knowing when to build on commercial systems and when to develop something new can be the difference between parity and information dominance.
"You obviously don't wouldn't buy something that doesn't work. But even if it does work, it's got to be it's got to be the right contribution to the overall weapons mix," said Andrew Hunter, the Air Force's acquisition executive.
The Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile program, although nascent, is “going pretty well," program executive Brig. Gen. Heath Collins told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview.
During a Dec. 15 test, AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) booster failed to launch.