On August 19, the US Air Force conducted a test of the ARRW (Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon) hypersonic missile. This is reported by the American edition of Defense News. According to the publication, the tests took place in southern California.
For testing, the US Air Force used the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber, which fired the AGM-183A hypersonic missile developed by Lockheed Martin as part of the ARRW program.
Interestingly, the US military department did not report whether this test was successful or not. But in the United States, a lot of work is now underway to create its own hypersonic weapons. Washington really wants to catch up with Russia and China, which have gone ahead in this matter.
In March 2023, tests of a prototype hypersonic missile were unsuccessful, since then American designers have made certain adjustments and re-tested the ARRW in August.
The superiority of Russia and even China in the field of hypersonic weapons over the United States greatly worries the US administration and the Pentagon. The United States considers this one of the main challenges, given the difficult military-political situation and the ongoing deterioration of Washington's relations with both countries.
However, the United States is experiencing certain problems in creating its own hypersonic weapons, as evidenced by unsuccessful missile tests and the fact that the issue of producing its own hypersonic weapons has not yet been resolved.