According to British media reports, on July 12, local time, the U.S. Air Force used B-52H strategic bombers to test-fire the AGM-183A hypersonic missile again in the waters near California. After three consecutive failed test launches, this test launch was a rare success. The Pentagon said in a statement that the test achieved its expected goals. Lockheed Martin, the company responsible for developing the bomb, said that through this test, key data was collected for subsequent tests.
reported that with the success of this test launch, the research and development of the AGM-183A hypersonic missile will be transferred from the current thruster testing stage to the waverider gliding test. It is reported that the AGM-183A is an air-launched hypersonic missile. The missile body adopts the mainstream waverider design. The working mechanism of the missile is to use a solid fuel engine to push the missile body outside the atmosphere after breaking away from the launch platform. The projectile releases a gliding body, dives and attacks the target at extremely high speeds. It is reported that the maximum flight speed of the AGM-183A hypersonic missile can reach Mach 20.
At present, all major military powers in the world are developing anti-missile interception technology. In the future, it will be very difficult for ordinary missiles to break through the opponent's tight anti-missile interception network. The U.S. Air Force hopes that with the AGM-183A hypersonic missile, it can effectively attack the opponent's high-value military targets when the opponent has a strict anti-missile interception network. According to the previous plan formulated by the U.S. Air Force, the AGM-183A hypersonic missile will enter service in 2024.
However, judging from the current progress, the goal of entering service in 2024 may not be achieved, but the successful test launch is regarded as a major breakthrough in the development of the AGM-183A hypersonic missile. US media stated that the US military is getting closer and closer to possessing the first hypersonic missile . Some military experts from China and Russia have warned that they should be highly vigilant about U.S. hypersonic missiles. Currently, China and Russia are ahead of the United States in the field of hypersonic missiles, and Russian hypersonic missiles have even participated in actual combat.
Hypersonic missiles are also one of the few weapons and equipment between China and Russia that are ahead of the United States in development progress. Previously, the Pentagon was under pressure due to the continuous test launch failures of the AGM-183A hypersonic missile. There is even news that the Pentagon no longer deliberately focuses on the research and development of its own hypersonic missiles, but is instead focusing on how to deal with the hypersonic missiles of China and Russia, such as developing an that can intercept the hypersonic missiles of China and Russia. Anti-missile system .
Military experts said that the successful test launch will at least give the Pentagon a sigh of relief, but at the same time it will be under tremendous pressure. For China and Russia, this successful test launch is very likely to become a turning point in the development of hypersonic missiles in the United States. The U.S. military will soon have hypersonic missiles. In order to maintain the strategic balance of power against the United States, China and Russia Need to find new points of support.
