The Coming of the Scramjet

Raytheon subsidiary Raytheon Missiles & Defense in partnership with Northrop Grumman have successfully completed the second flight-test of a scramjet-powered, Hypersonic, Air-breathing Weapon Concept—or HAWC—upon which the two companies have been collaborating at the behest of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force.

The flight-test built on data accrued during the prototype missile’s first flight, and significantly advanced the nascent weapon system toward its makers’ shared goal of fielding a world-leading hypersonic munition. The test met all primary and secondary objectives, including explorations of airframe robustness and tactical range capabilities.

Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology for Raytheon Missiles & Defense states: "The test demonstrated how we've rapidly matured affordable scramjet technology, which is the basis for air-breathing weapons. Our second HAWC flight test success is an important milestone for our nation as we advance hypersonic systems."

Dan Olson, vice president and general manager of Weapon Systems for Northrop Grumman adds: "The second flight test is a big step toward scramjet technology being mission ready. Nearly twenty-years of scramjet propulsion research and development have come to fruition to significantly advance our nation's weapon capabilities."   

During the flight test, the HAWC—after being released from a conventional aircraft—accelerated to hypersonic speeds by dint of its scramjet engine. The vehicle flew a trajectory devised to intentionally stress its structural components, thereby affording engineers opportunity to better define the HAWC’s flight envelope limitations and validate digital performance models.

Scramjet engines use high vehicle speed to forcibly compress incoming air prior to combustion, As they utilize atmospheric oxygen, scramjets require no heavy, complex, inherently hazardous, onboard oxidizer systems. Relative simplicity—and the fact they burn widely available hydrocarbon fuels—renders the scramjet design innately conducive to the development of safe, efficient, reasonably-sized, long-range hypersonic weapons.

By traveling at sustained speeds of Mach 5 or greater, hypersonic weapons like HAWC allow militaries to deliver ordnance on distant targets more quickly and with less chance of interception than traditional missiles systems.

Since 2019, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman have been working together to integrate Northrop Grumman's scramjet engines with Raytheon's air-breathing hypersonic weapons. The companies’ joint efforts have brought hypersonic weaponry to the precipice of viability, and helped secure American national security in an uncertain world.  

FMI: www.northropgrumman.com