Hypersonic-weapon piece of DARPA project tested by Aerojet Rocketdyne
NewsJune 21, 2021
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. Missile-propulsion company Aerojet Rocketdyne reports a successful test of a full-scale advanced solid rocket motor as part of an ongoing series of trials to support Phase 2 of the Operational Fires (OpFires) program, an effort mounted by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a ground-launched tactical hypersonic weapon.
During the static test -- held during May 2021 at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, Aerojet Rocketdyne demonstrated its solid rocket motor, a technology that is aimed at enabling the OpFires program to provide the U.S. military with intermediate-range missile capability. The most recent test follows previous tests of booster test articles and some smaller-scale propulsion-system tests to prove the technology.
DARPA's OpFires program is designed to use a highly mobile missile launcher to deliver a hypersonic boost-glide weapon capable of engaging high-value targets from standoff range through heavily contested airspace.
