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Third test of the Air Force's hypersonic weapon has failed

"The launch sequence was aborted before release with an unknown issue. The missile will return to the factory and analysis of the telemetry and onboard data will begin immediately. The program will seek to resume flight test as quickly as possible."

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Overbom said:

Third test of the Air Force's hypersonic weapon has failed

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Oh man, failed again. This time it didn't drop just like the first failure.
It's amazing how failures on this project seems to be on the really simple stuff instead of the actual hypersonic part itself. I've heard someone joke that US to hypersonic is like China to jet engines.

Am i looking at a two different ARRW missiles here? Or are they just development prototypes? The two seem to have similar diameter but different lengths ( and graphic details).

I'd be cautious before assuming anything about this test, especially the cause of failures. I don't trust USAF to divulge the correct details. And booster rockets, detachment etc are relatively trivial technology to fail at, compared to the Hypersonic vehicle itself. I am not convinced that the Hypersonic component is working and I am doubting USAF here when they say the issue is elsewhere. It might seem counterintuitive but blaming a trivial aspect of the technology wouldn't affect the overall perception of USAF but revealing that the issue is the Hypersonic vehicle itself would be unacceptable when rivals are already starting to induct - an admission of technological lag.

Xsizor said:

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Am i looking at a two different ARRW missiles here? Or are they just development prototypes? The two seem to have similar diameter but different lengths ( and graphic details).

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It's the same.

Xsizor said:

It might seem counterintuitive but blaming a trivial aspect of the technology wouldn't affect the overall perception of USAF but revealing that the issue is the Hypersonic vehicle itself would be unacceptable when rivals are already starting to induct - an admission of technological lag.

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That wouldn't be a problem for the US, they've already stated countless times that they are behind the Chinese and Russians in the hypersonic race, there's no reason to be suspicious of the USAF's statements regarding the AGM-183A's tests, I would say hypothetically, it would be even more advantageous for the US to declare that the hypersonic missile failed because this would enable the military to ask for more funding from the US Congress in an attempt to match its opponents, LM would be one of the many companies to gain from it.

Matheus S said:

That wouldn't be a problem for the US, they've already stated countless times that they are behind the Chinese and Russians in the hypersonic race, there's no reason to be suspicious of the USAF's statements regarding the AGM-183A's tests, I would say hypothetically, it would be even more advantageous for the US to declare that the hypersonic missile failed because this would enable the military to ask for more funding from the US Congress in an attempt to match its opponents, LM would be one of the many companies to gain from it.

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I do understand that angle. Its not new that USM would hype up threats for increased funding. But that's to the congress or committees. The messaging done to rivals/adversaries would be different. Three ducks in a row sure is suspicious. Issues are with Stage separation, Booster malfunctioning, pylon separation... they say. There's more to the story and its either LM or USM whose the protagonist.

“This agreement marks a very significant step forward and the culmination of a common desire to strengthen cooperation between the two navies, despite the rough seas that the two countries have recently crossed.”

Great and welcomed initiative post AUKUS Bravo Zulu

US Navy, French Navy Ink Strategic Interoperability Framework

The U.S. Navy and the French Navy (Marine Nationale) inked a Strategic Interoperability Framework (SIF) on 17 December 2021. The agreement paves the way for increased cooperation between the two navies for the next twenty years, especially their ability to "plug and fight" side by side.

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Temstar said:

Oh man, failed again. This time it didn't drop just like the first failure.
It's amazing how failures on this project seems to be on the really simple stuff instead of the actual hypersonic part itself. I've heard someone joke that US to hypersonic is like China to jet engines.

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Well, we don't know how many failure CN had when testing its hypersonic missile...