In recent years, the Pentagon has been paying special attention to the topic of hypersonic weapons of various classes, including those intended for the air force. One of these projects has been under development since last year, and its first results became known at the beginning of summer. The upcoming Lockheed Martin AGM-183A ARRW hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile already exists as separate products used in some tests.
What is known about the project
Development of the AGM-183A product started about a year ago. On August 13, 2018, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control was awarded a $ 480 million contract to build a new aeroballistic missile for the Air Force. The new project is designated as the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon or ARRW.
ARRW work takes just over three years. Serial products AGM-183A are expected until the end of 2021. With their help, the Air Force plans to strengthen strategic aviation, expanding its combat capabilities. High-performance aeroballistic missiles will have to improve the effectiveness of airstrikes over current weapons.
The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin are in no hurry to share all the details of the work, but they publish some messages. So, from the official news it is known that on June 12, the first flight of a prototype ARRW rocket took place on a carrier aircraft. The test flight was carried out at Edwards Air Force Base. The official press release was accompanied by some interesting photos.
The prototype AGM-183A has dimensions and weight corresponding to the future combat product. He received part of the control systems, and the rest of the units were replaced by weight simulators. The rocket was suspended under the wing of a B-52H bomber, which flew according to a given program. The prototype was not reset. The purpose of the tests was to test the behavior of the rocket on an external sling. When will new tests take place, incl. with release and flight - not reported.
What is known about the rocket
A number of technical details and characteristics of the new rocket have not been officially published, which contributes to the emergence of different estimates and assumptions. At the same time, some important details of the project are known. All this does not yet allow us to draw up a sufficiently detailed and plausible picture, but in the future the situation should change.
The AGM-183A is an aeroballistic missile with a likely detachable warhead. She received a cylindrical body with a tapered head fairing and folding stabilizers in the tail. It is proposed to use the planning warhead Tactical Boost Glide, which is being developed at DARPA, as the warhead. The block acceleration to the required speeds is provided by a solid-propellant rocket engine.
According to various estimates, the rocket has a length of about 6-6.5 m with a body diameter of approx. 1 m. The launch mass must exceed 2 tons. The main part of the ARRW's performance remains unknown. Only a firing range of up to 800 km was reported. You can also talk about a ballistic flight profile with characteristic features due to the use of the TBG warhead.
The prototype for transportation to the B-52H, it was alleged, received part of the standard on-board equipment. Probably, a full-fledged AGM-183A rocket will be equipped with an inertial and satellite navigation system, which ensures its passage along the required trajectory. The warhead should have similar equipment. At the same time, its autopilot will have to provide maneuvering in flight.
The estimated and actual performance of the entire ARRW system remains unknown. There is also lack of clarity with the parameters of its key element - the TBG block. So far, only the total firing range of 800 km is called, while other parameters of the ballistic trajectory are not specified.
The alleged combat qualities of the missile also remain unknown. Earlier it was reported that the TBG warhead will be able to reach speeds of up to M = 20 and carry a nuclear or conventional warhead. It is also expected to be able to maneuver on the downward trajectory before falling on the target.
The absence of the bulk of the most interesting information does not yet make it possible to draw up a detailed picture. In addition, it provokes the emergence of critical versions. So, it can be assumed that the AGM-183A project provides for the creation of a "conventional" aeroballistic missile without fundamentally new and bold components, such as a hypersonic gliding unit.
However, this assumption contradicts the known plans of the Pentagon and the stated goals of the ARRW program. The result of the latter should be a missile with a hypersonic warhead, and a different outcome is unlikely to suit the customer.
New opportunities for the Air Force
It should be recalled that the AGM-183A ARRW project is not the first American attempt to create an aeroballistic missile for strategic aviation. There have been several similar projects in the past, but none of them has gone beyond the testing stage. How the next attempt will end is a big question. However, this time, the Pentagon is determined to bring the project to the adoption of the missile into service.
The proposed version of an aeroballistic missile with a hypersonic warhead has a number of important advantages that can give strategic aviation new capabilities. As a consequence, the ARRW project has a high priority and must be brought to the desired result. In addition, it must be remembered that similar systems are already being created or put into service abroad - there has been some lagging behind, and the United States finds itself in an uncomfortable position of catching up.
The AGM-183A is an air-launched ballistic missile delivered to the launch point by a long-range bomber. The use of the B-52H aircraft makes it possible to obtain a combat radius of thousands of kilometers and ensure the destruction of targets almost anywhere in the world. At the same time, one B-52H will be able to carry several such missiles - although during the tests so far they have limited themselves to the removal of one model.
The launch of a "conventional" warhead along a ballistic trajectory at a distance of up to 800 km currently does not guarantee a breakthrough of the enemy's air and missile defense. It is proposed to solve the problem of breaking through the defense with the help of a hypersonic gliding warhead. It is expected that the TBG product will have all the advantages inherent in hypersonic weapons, and will be able to effectively pass through any defense system. High speed will reduce the permissible reaction time of air defense and missile defense, and the ability to maneuver will make interception more difficult.
According to some reports, the TBG unit will be able to carry both a special and a conventional warhead. This will expand the range of tasks to be solved in a known way.
According to the name of the program, the AGM-183A missile should become a means of retaliation in the shortest possible time. Probably, such weapons are planned to be used to destroy important enemy targets along with other missile systems of strategic aviation.
Actual problems
Last year's contract provides for the completion of ARRW work by the end of 2021, after which the US Air Force will be able to begin full-fledged operation of the new weapon. It is too early to say whether the Pentagon will be able to fulfill its plans within the specified time frame. To date, the AGM-183A project has only reached the removal of the prototype and has not yet entered the testing stage. On the other hand, only 10 months passed from the signing of the contract to the first flight with the model. Lockheed Martin still has ample time to build and develop the required weapons.
It should be borne in mind that the success of the ARRW program depends not only on the actual AGM-183A missile. The key element of the project is the TBG hypersonic warhead, on which work has been going on for several years. According to the foreign press, in early spring of this year, the TBG product entered the first flight tests, but it is still far from full-fledged flights in operating modes.
Thus, in the absence of any difficulties in two promising projects, the US Air Force in the foreseeable future can indeed receive a fundamentally new weapon with high technical and combat characteristics. However, difficulties in creating TBG or AGM-183A can lead to unpleasant consequences in the form of a shift in the timing of the adoption of missiles into service or even abandonment of the entire program.
Obviously, the progress of the ARRW project is now being followed not only in the United States. A promising American missile is capable of becoming a real threat to third countries, and therefore requires an appropriate response. It should be expected that by the time the AGM-183A is put into service, the likely adversaries of the United States will have at least working ideas on how to resolve the issue of combating such missiles. The US Air Force wants to complete work on the new weapon by the end of 2021, and third countries still have a margin of time to respond.
To date, in the field of hypersonic weapons, the United States has found itself in a catch-up position. They are still developing such projects, while foreign countries are already adopting such systems for service. The ARRW program, as well as other current projects, should change this state of affairs. Whether with its help it will be possible to close the gap or even break out into the leaders, it will become clear in the coming years.
