| Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Hypersonic air-launched cruise missile |
| Place of origin | United States Australia |
| Service history | |
| In service | In development |
| Used by | United States Air Force Royal Australian Air Force |
| Production history | |
| Designer | RTX Corporation Northrop Grumman |
| Specifications | |
| Engine | Scramjet |
Operational | 1,000 nmi (1,900 km)[1][2] |
| Maximum speed | Mach 8 (2.7 km/s; 9,800 km/h; 6,100 mph)[2][3][4] |
Launch | F-15E Strike Eagle[5] F/A-18F Super Hornet[6] |
The Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) is a scramjet-powered hypersonic air-launched cruise missile project, the successor of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) and the SCIFiRE hypersonic programs.[7]
Technology developed for the HAWC demonstrator was used to influence the design of the HACM, a U.S. Air Force Program of Record to create a scramjet-powered hypersonic missile it could deploy as an operational weapon.[8]
In December 2021, Raytheon Technologies was awarded a $985 million contract to continue its HACM development.[9]
The contract to develop HACM further was awarded to Raytheon in September 2022.[10] HACM will use a Northrop Grumman scramjet.[11][12] It is designed to be smaller than the AGM-183 ARRW and able to fly along “vastly different trajectories” than the boost-glide ARRW. [13]
The system will give the US military "tactical flexibility to employ fighters to hold high-value, time-sensitive targets at risk, while maintaining bombers for other strategic targets."[5][14][15][16] Following the U.S. Air Force's decision to not pursue procurement of ARRW in March 2023, the HACM became the service's only hypersonic weapon program.[17] Though the USAF confirmed that they would not be purchasing any hypersonic weapons in FY 2024, the budget request for the upcoming fiscal year includes $380 million for R&D on the HACM,[9] followed by a proposed $517 million in FY 2025.[13] The United States hopes to have the missile in operational capacity by FY 2027.[18]
The United States Air Force has stated that Australian testing facilities will be used for testing of HACM.[19][20]
United States - F-15E Strike Eagle
Australia - F/A-18F Super Hornet[21]
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