U.S. Air Force tests hypersonic cruise missile in Australia

The U.S. Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force have successfully conducted a flight test release of the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) over an Australian test range. This milestone marks the beginning of the flight test phase for the scramjet-powered weapon, which is being developed through a partnership between Raytheon and Northrop Grumman.

The testing is part of the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE), a collaborative initiative between the United States and Australia. The HACM utilizes a two-stage design, employing a rocket booster for initial acceleration followed by a scramjet-powered cruise stage to achieve hypersonic speeds.

Despite this progress, the program faces significant schedule pressure. Originally slated for flight testing in 2024, the timeline has been pushed to 2025 and 2026. To maintain the goal of making rapid acquisition decisions by fiscal year 2027, the Air Force has reduced the number of planned test flights from seven to five. This reduction in testing frequency introduces risk, as any major failure could prevent the program from meeting its deployment objectives.