Raytheon, Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract for Additional Hypersonic Weapon Advancements

Rhea-AI Summary

Raytheon, in partnership with Northrop Grumman, has been awarded a follow-on contract from DARPA to build and fly additional Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) flight vehicles. The team will continue to incorporate manufacturing improvements into the existing design and expand the operating envelope while validating system performance models. This program will further enhance their knowledge of hypersonic flight and support the development of critical capabilities for warfighters.

Positive

• Raytheon and Northrop Grumman's partnership has been successful in developing air-breathing hypersonic weapons.
• The follow-on contract from DARPA will allow the team to build and fly additional HAWC flight vehicles.
• The program aims to incorporate manufacturing improvements and expand the operating envelope while validating system performance models.
• The team's efforts will benefit the U.S. Air Force's Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) program.
• The Hypersonics Capability Center in Elkton, Maryland will play a key role in the HAWC follow-on contract.
• The partnership's combined efforts enable the production of air-breathing hypersonic weapons, the next generation of tactical missile systems.

Negative

• None.

Additional Flight Tests Offer Opportunity to Further Expand and Validate System Capabilities

TUCSON, Ariz., July 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, in partnership with Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), was awarded a follow-on contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to reduce risk for future air breathing hypersonic systems. Under the agreement, the Raytheon-led team will build and fly additional Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) flight vehicles.

"We applied learnings from each successful HAWC flight test to ensure that it is the most sophisticated system of its kind," said Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology for Raytheon. "Continuing this important program will expand our knowledge of hypersonic flight and allow us to deliver the critical capability our warfighters need."

The team will continue to apply data and lessons learned from earlier stages of the program to mature the operationally relevant weapon concept design. Mainly, the effort focuses on incorporating manufacturing improvements into the existing HAWC design and flight tests to expand its operating envelope while validating system performance models. The airframe and engine designs are closely aligned to the U.S. Air Force's Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) which will directly benefit from the continued advancements.

"The HAWC follow-on contract serves as an engine pathfinder program in our new production-ready Hypersonics Capability Center in Elkton, Maryland," said Dan Olson, general manager and vice president, weapons systems, Northrop Grumman. "Our factory of the future will seamlessly transition our validated propulsion system design into an operationally ready system to support further flight testing."

Raytheon and Northrop Grumman have been partners since 2013 and signed a teaming agreement in 2019 to develop, produce and integrate Northrop Grumman's scramjet engines onto Raytheon's air-breathing hypersonic weapons. In September 2022, the team was selected to develop HACM, a first-of-its-kind weapon. Additionally, the team has successfully completed multiple HAWC operational prototype system flight tests where digital engineering concepts, grounded in real-world flight data, have accurately predicted and increased system performance. Their combined efforts enable the production of air-breathing hypersonic weapons, the next generation of tactical missile systems.  

About RTX
RTX is the world's largest aerospace and defense company. With more than 180,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon – we are advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems for operational success, and developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2022 sales of $67 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

About Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers' toughest problems, our 95,000 employees define possible every day.

For questions, please contact:
Lindsey Drummey
rmdpr@rtx.com

 

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SOURCE RTX

FAQ

Who was awarded the follow-on contract from DARPA?

Raytheon, in partnership with Northrop Grumman, was awarded the follow-on contract from DARPA.

What is the purpose of the follow-on contract?

The follow-on contract aims to reduce risk for future air breathing hypersonic systems by building and flying additional HAWC flight vehicles.

What is the focus of the program?

The program focuses on incorporating manufacturing improvements, expanding the operating envelope, and validating system performance models.

How will the U.S. Air Force benefit from the program?

The airframe and engine designs of the HAWC program are closely aligned with the U.S. Air Force's Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) program.

Where is the Hypersonics Capability Center located?

The Hypersonics Capability Center is located in Elkton, Maryland.

What is the outcome of the partnership between Raytheon and Northrop Grumman?

The partnership enables the production of air-breathing hypersonic weapons, which are the next generation of tactical missile systems.