Aerojet Rocketdyne’s advanced scramjet engine had a successful test of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept. The HAWC was tested in a joint effort with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Air Force Research Laboratory and Lockheed Martin.
The goal of the joint project is to develop critical technologies to enable affordable and effective launches of hypersonic cruise missiles.
“By applying decades of advanced research and development, together with engineering know-how and innovative manufacturing and materials, our products optimize performance while dramatically reducing costs and development time,” said Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president.
Through additive manufacturing, the advanced scramjet engine uses 95% fewer parts than the history-making scramjet engine that powered the U.S. Air Force X-51A Waverider to sustained hypersonic speed.
Aerojet Rocketdyne manufacturers a wide range of products to support hypersonics, including solid rocket motor boosters, warheads and missile defense technologies. It has a headquarters and advanced manufacturing facilities in Huntsville.
