Breaking Defense reported earlier that the US Air Force has abandoned the Lockheed hypersonic weapon program after a test failure.
The US Air Force has announced plans to end the Lockheed Martin hypersonic weapons program.
Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Andrew Hunter confirmed the major development in testimony given to a House Armed Services subcommittee on Wednesday. He said the Air Force doesn’t “currently intend to pursue follow-on procurement” of the weapon known as the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW).
Breaking Defense reported earlier that the Lockheed Martin-made ARRW might be in jeopardy, citing Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who told the House Appropriations defense subcommittee during testimony on the service’s fiscal 2024 budget request this week that the March 13 test was “not a success.”
“The one we just had was not a success. We did not get the data that we needed from that test … currently examining that, trying to understand what happened,” Kendall told lawmakers.
He was referring to the news last Friday of an ARRW test by the Air Force that only achieved “several” objectives but omitted any claims of success
Sources close to Bloomberg said the missile, released from a B-52H bomber off the southern coast of California, experienced data link transmitting issues during flight.
The Biden administration has recently requested $115 million to fund a new Pentagon unit called the Office of Strategic Capabilities, aimed at helping tech startups build weapons of war for the military.
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