U.S. Hypersonic Missile Test Success Boost Deterrence to the CCP

According to reports, on January 30, Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense company, said that the hypersonic air-absorbing missile (HAWC) developed by the company together with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Air Force Research Laboratory had been successfully test-fired by a B-52 Stratospheric Bastion strategic bomber in the air again.

The primary purpose of the test is to obtain more information on the weapon’s performance. It is reported, Lockheed Martin noted that the supersonic combustion ram engine used by HAWC allowed the missile to accelerate to more than Mach 5, a speed of about 6,174 kilometers per hour, and fly more than 300 nautical miles (about 555 kilometers) at an altitude of 60,000 feet (about 18,288 meters). The U.S. Air Force says this is one of the most successful hypersonic flight tests in U.S. military history, which will undoubtedly enhance the Air Force’s future capabilities.

A successful test suggests HAWC is in the final stages of development, but the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency stresses that more tests will continue. With the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s threat continuing to intensify, the United States is embarking on defense research and development and investing in more powerful and advanced weapons to deter the CCP.