Russia and China deployed their first hypersonic capabilities in 2017 and 2019, respectively, with other nations, including North and South Korea, France, Japan Australia and India also researching the new class of weaponry. The United States has over half-a-dozen hypersonic weapons systems in development, but none have been fielded.

Lockheed Martin’s testing of a new air-launched hypersonic missile for the Air Force suffered three failed tests in a row, leading to concerns in the Pentagon and Congress that it won’t meet a deadline to begin production of a combat-ready hypersonic weapons system by 30 September.

The Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRO) is a boost glide hypersonic missile that’s expected to be fielded aboard B-52H Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer strategic bombers, and its specs include a 1,600 km operational range and a maximum flight speed of about Mach 20. It’s also been reported that the ARRO could also be carried by an F-15 fighter jet.

Three tests of the system conducted in April, July and December ended in failure, leading to concerns that the missile may not be ready by the September deadline.

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