On Monday, the Pentagon said the United States had tested a hypersonic jet-powered weapon with a supersonic combustion chamber. This is the first successful test of this type of weapon in the United States since 2013.
The test took place last week. “This brings us one step closer to offering the US military the next generation of combat capability,” said Andrew Knedler, director of the Tactical Technology Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). “We are preparing our next developments and are working on additional tests later this year,” he added.
“The rocket, built by Raytheon Technologies, was launched from an aircraft just seconds before the Northrop Grumman supersonic jet engine was launched,” DARPA reported.
Wes Kremer, President of Raytheon Missiles & Defense, noted that “The Department of Defense has identified supersonic weapons and anti-hypersonic capabilities as top technical priorities for the security of our country.” “The United States and our allies must be able to prevent other countries from using these weapons,” he added.
Northrop scramjet technology uses a high-speed rocket to forcibly compress incoming air before combustion to ensure continuous supersonic flight. “A rocket like this works best in an oxygen-rich atmosphere, where speed and maneuverability make it difficult to detect in a short time. It can hit targets much faster than subsonic missiles, and has significant kinetic energy even without explosives, ”DARPA explained. release.
In July, Russia said it had successfully tested the Zircon supersonic cruise missile, a weapon that President Vladimir Putin has touted as part of a new generation of missile systems unparalleled in the world.