In Australia for the first time tested cruise missile NASM

The U.S. Air Force has tested the HACM (Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile) high-precision hypersonic missile for the first time. The test specimen was dropped over the Australian Woomera Test Range.

According to the publication The War Zone, citing a representative of the US Air Force, the missile launch tests were repeatedly postponed. Testing was planned to begin in 2024, but the deadlines were shifted first to 2025 and then to 2026. Limited production is expected to begin before the end of 2027.

The rocket consists of two stages: an accelerator and a direct-flow air-jet engine that separates from the base and hits the target. NACM has a small size, and its carriers will be the latest generation fighters F-15E and F/A-18F. The exact technical details of the missile, in particular its maximum speed, are classified.

The tests are part of the SCIFiRE agreements between the US and Australia. The missile is being developed by military contractors Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. They signed a contract worth almost $1 billion in September 2022. According to the project plan, they must supply the development to military personnel no later than March 2027.