DARPA is playing both sides of the ball with both offensive and defensive hypersonics
HAWC and Glide Breaker are DARPA’s offensive and defensive hypersonic programs, respectively, and their program managers discuss what’s been done and what’s next.
By BARRY ROSENBERG
on November 18, 2022 at 11:15 AM
Over the last two years DARPA and the teams of Raytheon/Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin successfully completed a pair of flight tests of the scramjet-powered Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC). The hypersonic missile flew faster, higher, and farther than its predecessor hypersonic concepts — NASA’s X-43 and the X-51 scramjet-waverider from the Air Force Research Laboratory.
At the same time, DARPA is working the defensive side of the equation with Glide Breaker. Its goal is to research a highly maneuverable kill vehicle to intercept hypersonic weapons during their glide phase.
In the top half of this Q&A, we discuss HAWC with program manager Andrew “Tippy” Knoedler. In the bottom half, we talk about Glide Breaker with program manager Maj. Nathan Greiner. Both programs reside within DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office.
https://breakingdefense.com/2022/11/darpa-is-playing-both-sides-of-the-ball-with-both-offensive-and-defensive-hypersonics/
