Lockheed Martin AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW)

bobbymike said:
Anything in ATKs/NGs SRM catalogue?
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It wouldn't surprise me, I have a PDF copy of it but it's a few years out of date and I strongly suspect that not all of their rocket-motor products are present on it.
 
I thought I remember seeing a few lists of SRMs in this forum somewhere, included some info like the size of the motors, filament wind casing, etc .....
 
I don't know if NG still has its' rocket-motor catalogue online (I suspect it's not comprehensive either as it doesn't have the Mk-136 TSRM listed for example) also I suspect that the AGM-183's rocket-motor is something new and not present on the catalogue.
 
In_A_Dream said:
Weren't the issues primarily related to the boosters?
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The first main failure that was publicized was in 2021, where ARRW refused to release itself from the shackle:

USAF's ARRW hypersonic weapon fails to launch during flight test | InsideDefense.com

The Air Force's flagship boost-glide hypersonic vehicle -- the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon -- encountered a problem during a flight demonstration Monday and failed to launch from a B-52.
insidedefense.com insidedefense.com

Ultimately it doesn't matter particularly what the failures were, just that ARRW was extremely tightly budgeted around a very narrow timeline, because it was supposed to fill in a perceived gap between the HAWC finishing its test program in 2022. With the arrival of HACM into service in 2027, with ARRW entering service sometime in FY23, there would have been a gap of about 4-6 years where HACM inventory would be considered "too small" and ARRW fills this gap with a few dozen rounds. They probably would have been disposed of when the HACM inventory got big enough, at least if DOD managed to dodge the next Pacific War.

It seems this may simply have been manufacturing problems with the prototypes, or quality control issues at Lockheed (or anything else, really, perhaps some voltage regulators on the missile were out of spec who knows), since the low rate production AURs appear to work. However, they would be unreliable at best without further testing, which requires more money and more time, and this is now a threat to HACM as that weapon begins to enter its flight tests and development now in FY25.

I'm mostly just annoyed by the implied "missed opportunity" of ARRW in sferrin's post though. It's like being the Skybolt's biggest defender in 1970. It's such a weird weapon to worship, because it was never important in the first place, and especially since HACM's engine has already flown almost five times successfully and without issue!

www.defensedaily.com

DARPA and Air Force Finish HAWC Flight Tests, As Hypersonic Missiles Look Closer to Production - Defense Daily

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force have completed the fourth and final flight test for the Hypersonic
www.defensedaily.com www.defensedaily.com

America can literally have the most reliable and consistent scramjet motors in human history built on decades of experience and some people on this forum would be like "yeah but it's not a ROCKET that FALLS" like are you for real come on.

The real takeaway from ARRW is that Lockheed should stick to building C-130s and stop trying to step outside its wheelhouse.
 
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Kat Tsun said:
Ultimately it doesn't matter particularly what the failures were
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Relative to your criticisms of Lockheed's ability to engineer a hypersonic vehicle, I would think the point of failure would matter if it wasn't the hypersonic vehicle that caused the test failure. ARRW isn't the only hypersonic program that's experienced setbacks due to the unreliability of the booster stack.
 
In_A_Dream said:
Relative to your criticisms of Lockheed's ability to engineer a hypersonic vehicle, I would think the point of failure would matter if it wasn't the hypersonic vehicle that caused the test failure. ARRW isn't the only hypersonic program that's experienced setbacks due to the unreliability of the booster stack.
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It's not, but it's the most notable one recently, given the other DOD hypersonics programs are proceeding fine for now.

Given how the Army's LRHW program shook out, Lockheed should have been able to do ARRW in the time set out, and ARRW probably "just" needed another 12-18 months in the oven. Middle Tier Acquisition would have been able to snag it if it had been legally mandated at eight years instead of seven. Seven makes any program under it vulnerable to early stage problems like ERCA and the couple of genuinely bizarre launch failures ARRW had that pushed it back by a year. C'est la vie.

breakingdefense.com

Air Force conducts final test of ARRW hypersonic missile, won’t discuss 'specific' results - Breaking Defense

The test’s results could determine the ultimate fate of the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or at least help "further a range of hypersonic programs."
breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com

This all may have been similar due to some half-forgotten integration problem with B-52's software or something, that got discerned after the initial test failures, which once solved resulted in ARRW passing all tests until issues with shroud deployment occurred. On the other hand, engineers who are experienced in these things shouldn't really forget those early integration problems with ostensibly understood platforms in the first place, especially when under such sensitive timetables.

It may very well have been a new team headed up by an out of practice oldhead or something. The good news is that ARRW ultimately worked, so whatever issues existed were solved, and the engineers behind the program can contribute to successful weapons like LRHW and (presumably) CPS.
 
Defense Updates has just put out a video about the latest ARRW test:


The U.S. Air Force has confirmed that it executed its last scheduled end-to-end trial launch of a live AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) hypersonic missile earlier this week. The missile was launched from a B-52H bomber operating from the strategically significant U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam.Viewers may note that a few days ago images of the weapon in Guam appeared on the Internet and there was widespread speculation about an impending test.​
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This development comes amidst uncertainty surrounding the future of ARRW, with indications suggesting the possibility of a subsequent program that might already be underway.​
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In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why US military test firing ARRW from Guam is a big message for China?
#defenseupdates #agm183aARRW #usmilitary
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Chapters:
00:11 INTRODUCTION
01:53 US AIR FORCE STATEMENT
02:56 AGM-183A ARRW
05:25 GUAM
06:30 ANALYSIS
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It occurred to me that if the USAF developed an ARRW-ER by adding a second-stage to the booster they could name it the Skybolt-II.
 
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I thought ARRW got cancelled because it cost too much due to the small fielding numbers and flight test failures.

I think once they operationalize HACM, and it starts eating into the remaining free money in the budget, at which point we'll end up with neither.
 
zevets said:
I thought ARRW got cancelled because it cost too much due to the small fielding numbers and flight test failures.

I think once they operationalize HACM, and it starts eating into the remaining free money in the budget, at which point we'll end up with neither.
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According to another spokesperson, the tests weren't failures and it's, "the most mature hypersonic weapon they have."
 
Forest Green said:
According to another spokesperson, the tests weren't failures and it's, "the most mature hypersonic weapon they have."
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If comparing to the Army/Navy Dark Eagle that's not a high bar as understand it has yet to successfully fire a single AUR, even though R&D spend $8+ billion.
 
Cordy said:
If comparing to the Army/Navy Dark Eagle that's not a high bar as understand it has yet to successfully fire a single AUR, even though R&D spend $8+ billion.
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The glide body was successfully tested back in 2020.

www.twz.com

Army Shows First-Ever Footage Of New Hypersonic Missile In Flight And Impacting

The Army and Navy are jointly developing the weapon, which is set to be both services' first-ever operational hypersonic missile.
www.twz.com www.twz.com
https://twitter.com/x/status/1290723940529246214
View: https://x.com/Missile_Defense/status/1290723940529246214

Hypersonic Missile Tests Demonstrate 6-in. Accuracy, U.S. Army Says | Aviation Week Network

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy’s remarks during a keynote speech at the Association of the U.S. Army’s virtual annual meeting appear to confirm the previously unannounced accuracy results from the Flight Experiment (FE)-2 test.
aviationweek.com aviationweek.com
 
Cordy said:
If comparing to the Army/Navy Dark Eagle that's not a high bar as understand it has yet to successfully fire a single AUR, even though R&D spend $8+ billion.
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www.twz.com

Australian F/A-18F Super Hornets To Test Launch U.S. Air Force's Hypersonic Cruise Missiles

Expansive ranges needed to test hypersonic weapons are in limited supply and high demand in the U.S., and the Australian outback offers better security.
www.twz.com www.twz.com

Since then, however, signs have emerged that point to continued work on ARRW, or a follow-on program, possibly in the classified realm, amid the talk of challenges with HACM.
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Allvin hints at new funding for Air Force’s ARRW hypersonic missile in fiscal 2026​

“I will tell you that we are developing — and you’ll see in the budget submission, assuming it’s what we put forward — two different programs. One is a larger form factor that is more strategic [and] long range that we have already tested several times — it’s called ARRW,” Allvin said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
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defensescoop.com

Allvin hints at new funding for Air Force’s ARRW hypersonic missile in fiscal 2026

The Air Force's top officer told lawmakers that its upcoming budget request includes funding for two hypersonic missile programs — including ARRW.
defensescoop.com defensescoop.com
 
Does saying “strategic” give us a better idea of maximum or minimum range?
 
bobbymike said:
Does saying “strategic” give us a better idea of maximum or minimum range?
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Air Force officials have described ARRW as a 1,000 mile weapon which is probably the min stand off range you need for something like a B-52 in the Pacific.. HACM which flies slower (but is smaller) is likely a 500 mile weapon to be launched by F-15E/EX.
 
Forest Green said:
Shouldn't be, the same pylons can carry 6 AGM-86, some variants of which weigh 4,000lb, the ARRW is ~5,000lb.
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Different pylons guys. HSAB's are 6 x 30-inch lug spaced weapons (8 x 14-inch spaced weapons), AGM-158[X] weight * 6 weapons set max. ALCM pylons are 6*4,000lb weapons, but totally different pylons. Wing limit is the greater of these, so ~24 klb. without reinforcement like Balls 8, which is at the gate of Eddy's Patch.
 
mkellytx said:
Different pylons guys. HSAB's are 6 x 30-inch lug spaced weapons (8 x 14-inch spaced weapons), AGM-158[X] weight * 6 weapons set max. ALCM pylons are 6*4,000lb weapons, but totally different pylons. Wing limit is the greater of these, so ~24 klb. without reinforcement like Balls 8, which is at the gate of Eddy's Patch.
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This feels really stupid to ask, but why only 8x14" lugs? Isn't the heaviest 14" lug weapon 250lbs?
 

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