The US Air Force has finally confirmed that it conducted a live-fire test of the AGM-183 Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) on March 17, days after a B-52H bomber equipped with the hypersonic weapon made an appearance at Guam’s Andersen Air Force Base. 

According to a US Air Force official, on March 17, local time, “a B-52H Stratofortress conducted a test of the All-Up-Round AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon” at the Reagan Test Site close to Kwajalein Atoll. The bomber took off from Andersen AFB.

“This test launched a full prototype operational hypersonic missile and focused on the ARRW’s end-to-end performance,” the spokesperson said. The Air Force “gained valuable insights into the capabilities of this new, cutting-edge technology” from the event.

When the images of the weapon in Guam first started infiltrating the internet, there was speculation that a test was imminent.

Although the service has remained tight-lipped about its objectives, the test may have been conducted to validate the performance of the ARRW, characterize the behavior of an incoming, maneuvering hypersonic missile, and gather information for creating hypersonic missile defenses.

The Air Force did not specify the precise test goals or divulge information about the flight duration, the location of the surface impact, or whether the launch, separation, and glide sequence proceeded as planned.

The spokesperson claimed, “This test acquired valuable, unique data and was intended to further a range of hypersonic programs,” most likely alluding to the HACM or Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile. “We also validated and improved our test and evaluation capabilities for continued development of advanced hypersonic systems.”

Without giving too much away, the service used the same wording for the previous three end-to-end tests of live ARRW missiles, which took place in March, August, and October of 2023. While the service acknowledged that the March test failed, the results of the other two have been cloaked in secrecy.

The AGM-183A ARRW is a long-range hypersonic missile designed by Lockheed Martin for the USAF. The missile was expected to improve USAF’s hypersonic strike capability to attack heavily defended, high-value targets such as enemy military bases and surface warships at stand-off ranges. The death knell on the program was sounded just days after the failed test.

The latest test has sparked a lot of interest as it came after the US Air Force announced its intention to disband the troubled ARRW hypersonic weapon program last year. For this reason, several internet users joked that the hypersonic missile had returned from the dead to be tested in the region nearest to China.

The latest ARRW test comes even though the US Air Force is not keen on the program, as evidenced by its budget request for fiscal 2025. While the USAF has requested $517 million to continue developing the HACM, the service’s FY25 budget does not allocate any money for Lockheed Martin’s ARRW for research and development or purchases.

Previous reports noted that the service will complete its rapid prototyping program this year and has one last all-out round test scheduled for the weapon shortly. “With ARRW … we are undergoing the final test of the all-up-round [AUR] with a planned test program completion by the end of [the] second quarter [of] Fiscal Year 2024,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Dale White, the Military Deputy at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. “Future ARRW decisions are pending final analysis of all flight test data.”

However, despite these details, the recent test is still significant as it was the first test launch of an American hypersonic weapon in this region. Thus, the test appears to be a signal sent across the Pacific, particularly to China.

China Must Be Watching!

The report of the ARRW test is expected to create a frenzy in China for two reasons: one, the US has been working relentlessly to close the glaring gap in hypersonic capability with China, and two, the strategic significance of Guam by its location in the Pacific.