During the test on April 5, the US Air Force failed when it first launched the hypersonic missile AGM-183A from the aircraft B-52H.
The test failed when the prototype of the hypersonic missile AGM-183A failed to detach from the mount on the B-52H. The Air Force said in a statement on April 6:
“The Air Force had a step back in progress with its supersonic missile program when the first test with a propulsion failed. The B-52H bomber took off on April 5 to launch the prototype AGM-183A, but the test bullet could not complete the launch procedure and was safely hung on the plane until it reached the Edwards base ” . Missile AGM-183A onboard B-52H aircraft. The test was to test the performance of the propulsion engine, as well as the detachability of the supersonic surfacing vehicle after the rocket engine stopped working. The warhead is designed to self-crumble shortly after being separated from the engine, helping to minimize the no-fly zone for ships and aircraft. The US Air Force has conducted seven test flights with the missile model AGM-183A to collect positioning data and flight parameters, test the ability to integrate missiles onto the B-52H launch platform and build procedures. commissioned for the first test shot. The AGM-183A hypersonic missile is also known as the “Aircraft Launched Rapid Reaction Weapon” (ARRW). This is one of the supersonic missile programs being developed for the US Air Force to close the gap in this field with Russian opponents. Especially according to the US Air Force’s statement, the AGM-183A possesses many advantages over the hypersonic missile Kinzhal of the Russian Air Force. The US side said that the parameters on Kinzhal of Russia are equivalent to the AGM-48 Skybolt (developed 60 years ago) of the US and far behind the current AGM-183A. The AGM-183A is superior to the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal in that it does not require the launcher to climb to very high altitudes and maintain Mach 2 as the Kinzhal’s speed and still easily reach design specifications. In particular, according to the US Department of Defense procurement advisor Will Roper, the AGM-183A has an impressive speed when it can reach a maximum of nearly Mach 20. It can be seen that the AGM-183A has a much faster speed than the Kinzhal when the Russian missile reaches just above Mach 10. Although not yet launched, but with the aforementioned parameters, the AGM-183A deserves to be considered a rival to Russia’s supersonic weapons today. But for the AGM-183A to enter service, it may take the Americans a long time. Meanwhile, Russia is ready to equip Kinzhal after successive trials of the weapon.
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