Question: Which of the following country recently tested the Raytheon hypersonic weapon, in partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)?
a) USA
b) Russia
c) China
d) India
Answer: (a)
Related facts:-
- On 27 September US defence department the Pentagon announced that the United States has successfully tested a Raytheon hypersonic weapon.
- It is an air-breathing hypersonic weapon capable of speeds faster than five times the speed of sound.
- The mission was completed by the US Air Force, in partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
- It was the first successful test of this type of cruise missile since 2013 by the United States of America.
- The free flight test of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) took place around 20th September 2021.
- It has been demonstrated that the weapon is highly effective and it has strong capabilities to hit and destroy the set target.
- The mission aimed to test, among other aspects, safe separation from the launch aircraft, booster ignition and engine ignition.
- According to a DARPA press release, all primary test objectives were met.
- Built by Raytheon Technologies, the HAWC missile’s engine propelled the cruiser at a speed greater than Mach 5 – five times the speed of sound.
- HAWC vehicle operates best in oxygen-rich atmosphere, where speed and maneuverability make it difficult to detect in a timely way.
- It could strike targets much more quickly than subsonic missiles and has significant kinetic energy even without high explosives.