The competition to dominate hypersonic weapons has become one of the benchmark military tech showdowns of our era. While other countries are already fielding systems, the United States felt compelled to bring its own to the table. The Air Force’s AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, popularly referred to as ARRW, was previously hailed as that solution.
Intended to fly at Mach 5 to Mach 8 speeds and hit valuable targets deep within defended zones, it was fast and powerful even among weapons. But the program’s tale is one of turbulence and not triumph, a cautionary story about hurrying cutting-edge technology into operation.
ARRW took form after revelations in 2018 in the public domain regarding hypersonic operational capabilities overseas. Not wanting to lag, the Pentagon invested time and money in various hypersonic ventures. ARRW, a Lockheed Martin development, soon became the Air Force’s top priority, stemming from DARPA’s Tactical Boost Glide work. The idea was straightforward in theory: a rocket-powered glide vehicle borne by bombers such as the B-52 Stratofortress—and perhaps the B-1B Lancer and F-15E Strike Eagle—with the ability to fly about 1,000 miles at breakneck speeds to target sensitive, timely targets.
What distinguished the ARRW from some strategic-only systems was that it was designed to be a battlefield weapon. It was not merely deterrence; it was having something ready to knock out defenses and shock important targets in the first few minutes of a fight. To hurry things along, the program was given fast-track authority, going ahead with rapid fielding in preference to the traditional protracted development process.
But haste was expensive. Since it began April 2021 flight testing, ARRW consistently faltered. Some test missiles never wanted to leave their launch aircraft. Others had booster malfunctions or instrumentation problems that aborted launches. Experts noted the program didn’t have a fully mature test plan, and basic issues went unsolved. Consequently, ARRW had trouble demonstrating it could deliver the combat capability for which it was intended.
Despite this, the Air Force continued. Through 2023, officials stated that procurement would be cut off at the prototype stage, with hypersonic funding in the future diverted to the scramjet-powered HACM. A small cache of ARRW test missiles was maintained, though, in order to gather data and experiment with operating concepts.
One of ARRW’s most publicized moments was in early 2024. In February, the Air Force published images of a live AGM-183A staged aboard a B-52H at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. It was not merely a technical achievement—it was a message to allies and observers that America possessed a working, if experimental, hypersonic capability deployed in a strategically valuable place.
A month later, on March 17, a B-52H conducted a long-range flight from Guam and dropped an ARRW prototype. Officials dubbed it an end-to-end performance test, the first of its type in the Pacific theater. Lockheed Martin portrayed the event as the bookend to the program, stating lessons learned would be carried forward to the next generation of hypersonic weapons. Whether or not the missile hit its target was left undetermined, but the test exhibited the mission profile ARRW was always designed for: fast, long-range strikes at high-priority targets.
Even after that high-profile test, the program’s record was mixed. Most of ARRW’s live-fire attempts were plagued by booster, telemetry, or payload issues. Compounding the difficulty, the unit cost was projected at about $15 to $17 million—well more than current cruise missiles—so ARRW would have most likely been held in reserve for the most critical and best-protected targets.
As ARRW runs down, the greater hypersonic competition continues on. The Navy and Air Force are now embracing air-breathing cruise missile designs such as HACM, which offer enhanced range and versatility. Allied work on joint propulsion testing and missile development is also underway, demonstrating a wider move towards co-operation and pragmatism.
Finally, ARRW leaves behind more than just prototypes. Its brief lifespan provides a lasting reminder: rushing a weapon to the field too soon can erode confidence as well as effectiveness. The attention has now turned to reliability, operational utility, and survivability over the long term. The hypersonic race is far from over—but America’s next installment will probably be written with a steady hand and attention to long-term outcomes.
