First Hypersonic Air-Breathing Missile In Development for USAF

Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Northrop Grumman team will deliver the first-of-its-kind weapon developed in conjunction with the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment, a US and Australia project arrangement By DA Staff / 03 Oct 2022

Discover Leading Defense Technology Solutions

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
US+Air+Force+Selects+Raytheon+Missiles+_+Defense+Northrop+Grumman+to+Deliver+First+Hypersonic+Air-Breathing+Missile_16ab2127-c776-40a8-aa2b-ca20a90372a4-prv
Follow DA

Raytheon Missiles & Defense, in partnership with Northrop Grumman Corporation, has been selected to develop the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) for the US Air Force (USAF). 

HACM is a first-of-its-kind weapon developed in conjunction with the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE), a US and Australia project arrangement.

Under this contract, the Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Northrop Grumman team will deliver operationally ready missiles to the USAF.

“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.”

The HACM is an air-breathing, scramjet powered munition. Scramjet engines use high vehicle speed to forcibly compress incoming air before combustion, which enables sustained flight at hypersonic speeds – Mach 5 or greater. By traveling at these speeds, hypersonic weapons, like HACM, are able to reach their targets more quickly than similar traditional missiles, allowing them to potentially evade defensive systems. 

“The Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile creates a new class of strategically important weapons for the US military,” said Mary Petryszyn, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Defense Systems. “Our scramjet propulsion technology is ushering in a new era for faster, more survivable and highly capable weapons.”

Raytheon Technologies and Northrop Grumman have been working together since 2019 to develop, produce and integrate Northrop Grumman’s scramjet engines onto Raytheon’s air-breathing hypersonic weapons. Their combined efforts enable both companies to produce air-breathing hypersonic weapons, the next generation of tactical missile systems.

Posted by DA Staff Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

GA-ASI Integrates Optix Software for USMC Weapons & Tactics Instructor Course

GA-ASI integrated the Optix software into the U.S. Marine Corps' Common Intelligence Picture (CIP), advancing ISR capabilities during the recent Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course

May 21, 2025
New AI Platform & Autonomous Underwater Glider Unveiled for Maritime Surveillance

Helsing is launching the Lura software platform and SG-1 Fathom autonomous underwater glider—a new maritime surveillance system that uses advanced AI to detect and deter underwater threats with speed, precision, and scale

May 21, 2025
Elistair to Supply Tethered Drones for Enhanced Wildfire Response in Greece

Elistair will supply tethered drone systems to Greece for integration into Mobile Operations Centers, enhancing the country's disaster response capabilities

May 21, 2025
RAF Fields Electronic Warfare Drones to Disrupt Enemy Radar

The RAF has deployed StormShroud drones, UK-made uncrewed systems equipped with electronic warfare payloads, to jam enemy radar and protect frontline combat aircraft

May 21, 2025
Latest USV Platform Enables Versatile Operations in Contested Waters

SubSea Craft’s MARS is a rapidly developed, modular uncrewed surface vessel built to enhance maritime operations with scalable, multi-mission capability and autonomous deployment

May 20, 2025
New Line of Kinetic-Capable Unmanned Surface Vessels Introduced

Red Cat Holdings enters the maritime autonomy market with a new line of combat-proven USVs, expanding its multi-domain unmanned systems for naval operations

May 20, 2025

Featured Content

New Line of Kinetic-Capable Unmanned Surface Vessels Introduced

Red Cat Holdings enters the maritime autonomy market with a new line of combat-proven USVs, expanding its multi-domain unmanned systems for naval operations

May 20, 2025
Next-Gen Group 2 UAS Enters Production with Extended Endurance & Upgrades

Aurora Flight Sciences upgrades the SKIRON-X Group 2 UAS with greater versatility and tactical mission endurance, as well as announcing the hydrogen-powered SKIRON-XLE variant

May 13, 2025
Discover ANELLO’s SiPhOG™ for GNSS-Denied Navigation at XPO25

CEO of ANELLO Photonics, Dr. Mario Paniccia, will present at Xponential 2025 on the company's SiPhOG-based inertial navigation technology in GPS-denied and GNSS-contested environments.

May 09, 2025
Advancing Defense Capability Through Strategic Collaboration Defense Advancement works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive defense capabilities forward.