The USAF cancels the deal of the AGM-183 ARRW missile because of technical problems.

The hypersonic systems can use for many other purposes than just as missiles. Hypersonic aircraft can offer the possibility to launch small-size satellites to the orbital trajectory.

The main problem with hypersonic missiles is how to control them while they travel through the air. The hypersonic missile requires precise accuracy if it uses kinetic energy. And the Russian Kh-47M2 Kinzhal has shown that aiming those missiles at a target is more difficult than people thought. The target for hypersonic missiles is planned to be ships or some heavily armored targets.

The fact is that there is a couple of ways to create hypersonic missiles. The first version is to use regular rockets. The Russian Kinzhal missile is this type of weapon. To reach a hypersonic speed that missile requires a very fast launching platform that accelerates it to the speed of Mach 3. And this is one reason why the Russians use MiG-31 "Foxhaund" fighters for those missions.

In those missions, the radar from those fighters is removed. And the A-50 Mainstay AWACS systems are helping those pilots to aim those missiles. And that is the biggest problem with those Kinzhal missiles. If there are mistakes in the aiming process, those missiles will not impact targets. The other version is to use the ballistic missile to transfer those hypersonic cruise missiles.

The ballistic missile can transfer those hypersonic cruise missiles to the ballistic trajectory. And then those hypersonic missiles will dive into the atmosphere where their scramjet engines start to breathe the air. That kind of system is more powerful than Kinzhal missiles. But also the ballistic missile that uses the warhead that diving azimuth is gentle can give the same effect with the smaller air-launched systems.

Stealth cruise missiles that fired under heavy ECM protection can give as long reaction time as a hypersonic system give.

Above: In-flight illustration of the AGM-183A ARRW hypersonic missile.

Above: Kh-47M2 Kinzhal under MiG-31

Above: X-51 Waverider Scramjet-based hypersonic testbed under B-52H "Stratofortress".

Above: AGM-129 Stealth cruise missile or ACM (Advanced Cruise Missile) was the first operational Stelth-cruise missile retired in 2012. Information about that system is easy to get. And that's why I use it as an example of air-launched stealth cruise missiles. The Raytheon systems have a new contract for heavy nuclear-capable air-launched missiles, but details of those systems are not public.

Above: Ramjet or supersonic air-breathing engine

Above: Scramjet or hypersonic air-breathing engine

The real advancement in hypersonic technology is the air-breathing hypersonic missiles. Those systems are similar to regular cruise missiles but they are far faster. They use scramjet and ramjet technology. Things like X-51 Waverider-test units are the prototypes of those very highly secretive and advanced systems.

But there is a possibility that the normal slower supersonic missiles are equipped with cannons. When those systems are diving against targets those cannons will launch rockets or grenades against the target. That thing makes a very powerful kinetic energy impact to the point where it hits.

The benefits of the hypersonic systems are greatest in the kinetic energy systems. If the missiles use the conventional or nuclear warhead the benefits of those systems are lower than in kinetic energy systems. We must realize. That if the defender can predict the hypersonic missile's trajectory and the launching is seen, defense against that missile is quite easy. The defending system can shoot missiles against those hypersonic weapons, or there can be swarms where those missiles impact.

Sometimes is introduced that the warning time against hypersonic missiles is very low. But the same way, warning time. And reaction times are low if the stealth cruise missiles are flying to their targets under heavy ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) protection.

https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104543/agm-129a-advanced-cruise-missile/

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/lockheed-martins-hypersonic-weapon-us-ends-deal

https://www.space.com/20967-air-force-x-51a-hypersonic-scramjet.html

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/31286/the-saga-of-the-agm-129-cruise-missile-that-was-basically-a-stealth-jet-designed-upside-down

https://tucson.com/business/tucson-based-raytheon-unit-creating-stealthy-new-nuclear-cruise-missile/article_e0884d54-e365-11eb-993d-3b8ea5027866.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGM-129_ACM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGM-183_ARRW

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kh-47M2_Kinzhal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-31

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scramjet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramjet

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