The Air Force Is Working on 'Hacksaw,' a Mach 5 Missile
It will overwhelm enemy air defenses with blistering speed.
By Kyle Mizokami
Sep 18, 2019
U.S. Air Force
The U.S. Air Force is working with defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Aerojet to develop a new hypersonic cruise missile. The weapon, known as the Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW, or “Hacksawâ€) will be used to strike time-critical targets in places with strong enemy air defenses. The missile’s sheer speed, which will be a minimum of Mach 5, will allow it to penetrate strong enemy air defenses and reach targets before they relocate.
According to Military.com, the hypersonic weapon will follow in the footsteps of the X-51A Waverider scramjet-powered hypersonic vehicle, as shown in the photo above. Boeing built four Waverider vehicles for the Air Force in the early 2010s. The last test, launched from a B-52H Stratofortress off the coast of California in 2013, saw a Waverider hit Mach 5.1 and fly 230 miles in six minutes. The test validated the hypersonic weapon concept but the research—at least in the non-classified world—stopped there.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a29109180/air-force-mach-5-missile/
