DARPA looking to develop ‘foundation’ of next-generation hypersonic missile work

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is considering a new program to develop a hypersonic missile demonstrator that would serve as the baseline of future weapons, according to a special notice.

The agency posted a request for information to Sam.gov on Aug. 7 seeking industry feedback on the new Next Generation Hypersonic Cruise Missile (NGHCM) effort — which aims to design, build and fly a fully integrated hypersonic weapons demonstrator. If pursued by DARPA, the program would aim to “establish the foundation for a next-generation capability that delivers a revolutionary leap in operational performance,” the RFI stated.

DARPA’s vision goes beyond future design concepts for an air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile. Along with potential vehicle architectures and integration strategies, the agency is also interested in emerging capabilities and innovative test-and-evaluation technologies that represent significant advancements in system performance, according to the RFI.

“While prior technology demonstration programs have successfully proven the fundamental viability of scramjet-powered flight to counter the evolving threat landscape, existing concepts often achieve predictable, incremental gains in isolated performance metrics, representing evolutionary improvements rather than the disruptive capabilities required for future conflicts,” officials wrote. “Furthermore, legacy manufacturing processes often result in systems that are too expensive and complex to produce at the scale required for peer conflict.”

Development of hypersonic weapons has been a top priority across the Defense Department for years. For example, the Air Force is pursuing a system known as the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) in partnership with Raytheon.

However, many of the services’ programs have faced challenges during their development.

Beyond the complexities of designing and deploying the advanced missiles, the United States has minimal testing infrastructure that can support validating hypersonic weapons for fielding. Moving into production has also recently exposed limitations in the industrial base’s ability to build the missiles at scale.

DARPA is requesting industry feedback on at least one of three key focus areas. Under the first, the agency is interested in advanced air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile architectures that prioritize offering greater ranges, cruise speeds or altitudes over current systems.

The RFI notes that potential systems could come in a variety of form factors — including traditional air-launched and ground-launched mechanisms, as well as palletized deployment methods.

Another focus area concerns evaluation of critical technologies, and DARPA is looking for information on capabilities that can enable significant advancements in hypersonic weapons. The agency outlines novel propulsion systems, high energy density fuels, booster technologies, thermal management systems and more.

“This is not a modernization or incremental improvement effort. DARPA seeks unconstrained, radical new subsystem concepts that can deliver a quantum leap in overall system performance and distinguish themselves completely from the current state-of-the-art,” the RFI stated.

DARPA’s final focus area addresses hypersonic test-and-evaluation capabilities — which has been a critical concern for the Defense Department in recent years. The agency is interested in solutions that will reduce the time, cost or uncertainties associated with ground testing the weapons, as well as methodologies that challenge how the Pentagon conducts live flight tests, according to the notice.

Like in other areas, DARPA is prioritizing capabilities that offer significant improvements in testing, such as autonomous telemetry, advanced data assimilation and novel range safety architectures. Solutions from all domains will be considered, but the agency is particularly interested in autonomous capabilities.

Responses are due Oct. 6 and will be used to inform formal requirements for the NGHCM, according to the RFI. In addition, DARPA plans to host an industry day in September in Arlington, Virginia.