U.S. plays catch-up on hypersonic missiles
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In a race to catch up with China and Russia, the U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy are sharing funding and technology to develop a range of hypersonic missile systems
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BOOST-GLIDE VEHICLES: Launched to high altitude, glide to their target at Mach 3-20

Tactical Boost Glide (TBG)
USAF - Raytheon Technologies
Successful launches in 2011, 2017 and March 2020

Common Hypersonic Glide
Body (C-HGB)
USN / U.S. Army - Sandia National Laboratories
Submarine-launched and truck-based

INTEGRATED MISSILE SYSTEMS
Using Boost-Glide Vehicles (all Lockheed Martin developed)

Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) U.S. Army 
Mobile ground-launched vehicle for C-HGB

Transport Erector Launcher B-52
F-15

Operational Fires (OpFires) US Army
Ground-launched boost-glide system based on TBG
HYPERSONIC CRUISE MISSILES: Powered during flight by attached engine Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) Scramjet-powered hypersonic cruise missile

Northrop
Grumman /
Lockheed
Martin

Intermediate Conventional Prompt Strike USN
Using C-HGB atop a submarine- launched booster

Virginia class nuclear submarine

Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW) USAF
Based on C-HGB. Cancelled AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid 
Response Weapon (ARRW) USAF Uses TBG, is smaller than HCSW.

Twice as many ARRWs could be carried on B-52, or launched singly from the F-15

Instead of carrying oxygen for fuel, scoops it from atmosphere

Reduced weight – could be carried on variety of aircraft

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Sources: U.S. Army, Flight Global, Lockheed Martin, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists © GRAPHIC NEWS