Hypersonic test results mixed

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — Two recent weapons tests connected to Eglin Air Force Base produced a mixed record for ongoing Air Force weapons development. On Dec. 15, the effort to develop an air-launched hypersonic missile were dealt a setback, but the next day the in-flight retargeting of a cruise missile was successfully demonstrated over the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range in the Gulf of Mexico. In the Dec. 15 test of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, designed to fly at multiple times the speed of sound, the launch sequence was aborted for unknown reasons and the test vehicle never left the B-52H Stratofortress bomber. The program is overseen by the Air Force's Eglin-based Armament Directorate. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 12/22/21) For a detailed look at the hypersonic program, see the October 2021 issue of Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter.