Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Raytheon Company a $63.3 million contract to develop its Tactical Boost Glide (TBG) hypersonic weapons program. The program is a collaboration between DARPA and the U.S. Air Forceto develop and demonstrate technologies to enable future air-launched, tactical-range hypersonic boost-glide systems. The contract includes a critical design review of the hypersonic weapons system, a significant step in fielding the technology.
A rocket will launch the tactical-range boost-glide weapon to reach hypersonic speeds, or faster than Mach 5. When the speed is reached, the payload will separate from the rocket and glide unpowered until it reaches the destination. DARPA’s website states that the Tactical Boost Glide program consists of two stages, ground and flight testing.
Dr. Thomas Bussing, Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems vice president, said, “This latest contract adds to Raytheon's growing number of hypersonic weapons programs. Raytheon is working closely with our customers to quickly field these advanced weapon systems and provide our nation's military with the tools they need to stay ahead of the escalating threat.”
One of the main challenges that the U.S. military has faced with the current weapon system is the range, response time and effectiveness. The main advantage of the hypersonic weapon is that it will enable the military to engage from longer ranges with enhanced effectiveness and shorter response times. For more information about other projects that Raytheon undertook, read Raytheon Wins $52-Million and $29-Million Contracts for Advanced Sentinel Radars.