(CNN)The latest in US supersonic weapons after an "abnormality" in the Pentagon, the first test of the entire system. The test failed said on Thursday.
Tests conducted at the Pacific Missile Range facility in Hawaii were to launch a common hypersonic glide body over a two-stage missile booster. The booster is designed to boot the system and accelerate to supersonic speeds above Mach 5. At this point, the glide body comes off and uses that speed to reach the target. This was the first time the entire system had been tested, called an all-up round test. The
anomaly prevented the Pentagon from completing the entire test, but the Pentagon said it was not a complete failure.
"The department was unable to collect data on the entire planned flight profile, but the information gathered from this event provides important insights," said Pentagon spokesman Lt.Cdr. I am. Statement Tim Gorman. Gorman did not provide additional details about the nature of the anomaly or at what stage of the test the anomaly occurred.
Program personnel will review the tests, find the ones that failed, and notify future tests, Gorman said.
"Providing supersonic weapons remains a top priority, and on the target day from the early 2020s, we are well on our way to the field of offensive and defensive supersonic capabilities. The ministry is confident that it is, "Gorman said.
The Pentagon has been increasingly focused on the development of supersonic weapons after legislators were concerned that the United States was lagging behind the Chinese and Russian programs. Last year, China successfully tested a supersonic weapon that orbits the Earth before reaching its goal. More recently, Russia became the first country to use supersonic weapons in the war when it launched Iskander and Kinzhal missiles in Ukraine.
A previous test of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, a joint venture between the Navy and the Army, also ended prematurely when the booster rocket broke down. Without the booster rocket, the Pentagon would not have been able to proceed with testing a typical supersonic glide body.
This test, conducted in October at the Pacific Paceport Complex in Alaska, did not use a two-stage missile booster designed as part of the system. Instead, I used another booster, but failed to provide data on the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, a key component needed to develop supersonic weapons,
The ARRW program suffered a series of unique setbacks and delays during development. This includes three flight test failures prior to the latest success.
