DARPA seeks new hypersonic cruise missile to outrun Chinese and Russian air defenses
DARPA issued a request for information this week for a hypersonic cruise missile built to fly past Mach 5 using atmospheric oxygen instead of carrying its own like a rocket. Industry responses are due October 6. The push responds to advancing Chinese and Russian air defenses.
DARPA's Tactical Technology Office issued a request for information this week for a Next Generation Hypersonic Cruise Missile, according to Defence Blog. The weapon is designed to fly faster than five times the speed of sound while breathing its own oxygen from the atmosphere rather than carrying an oxidizer onboard the way a rocket does. Industry responses to the request are due October 6, and DARPA plans an in-person industry day in Arlington, Virginia in September to share technical details with potential contractors, universities and government labs. A request for information is not a contract and does not commit the Pentagon to funding any company. It is a formal way to gather ideas before deciding whether to launch a full competitive program. The timing points to why DARPA is moving now. Adversary nations, understood to mean China and Russia, have spent recent years building increasingly sophisticated integrated air defense systems. Existing US air-launched cruise missiles were designed for a threat environment that no longer matches what those defenses can track and intercept, which is the gap this program is meant to close.