Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Northrop Grumman have been selected to develop the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) for the US Air Force (USAF).
Under the contract, the two companies will deliver operationally ready HACMs built in conjunction with the US-Australian project Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment.
The missile is a first-of-its-kind weapon that utilises an air-breathing, scramjet-powered munition, which uses high vehicle speed to compress incoming air before combustion. This capability enables sustained hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 or greater, according to Northrop Grumman.
Travelling at hypersonic speeds allows weapons like HACM are able to reach their targets more quickly than similar traditional missiles, allowing them to potentially evade defensive systems, the company added in its statement.
Mary Petryszyn, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Defense Systems, said HACM establishes a new class of strategically important weapons for the US military.
“Our scramjet propulsion technology is ushering in a new era for faster, more survivable and highly capable weapons,” Petryszyn said.
“Raytheon Missiles & Defense continues to be at the forefront of hypersonic weapon and air-breathing technology development,” said Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
“With advanced threats emerging around the globe, the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile will provide our warfighters a much-needed capability.”
Raytheon and Northrop have been collaborating since 2019 to develop, produce, and integrate Northrop Grumman’s scramjet engines onto Raytheon’s air-breathing hypersonic weapons.
