The Pentagon's next big project is hypersonic scramjet cruise missiles able to evade enemy interceptors
- DARPA wants hypersonic missiles capable of surviving increasingly sophisticated enemy air defenses
- The new program seeks major gains in range, speed, and survivability
- Russia's Zircon gives Washington an existing hypersonic cruise missile benchmark
The Pentagon is pursuing a new hypersonic cruise missile concept designed to survive increasingly capable enemy air defense networks.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Next Generation Hypersonic Cruise Missile (NGHCM) program wants contractors to design a hypersonic scramjet cruise missile capable of evading enemy interceptors.
The effort comes as U.S. forces intercept Iranian retaliations from its attack, increasing concerns about existing stand-off weapons facing sophisticated defenses.
DARPA seeks a survivable hypersonic cruise missile
DARPA says advanced integrated air defense systems could increasingly restrict American forces and weaken existing stand-off strike capabilities.
Its request for information seeks concepts capable of achieving significant improvements in range, cruise speed, altitude, or other operational characteristics.
The agency specifically wants...
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