45-561: The AGM-183 ARRW ("Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon") is a hypersonic air-to-ground ballistic missile planned for use by the United States Air Force . Developed by Lockheed Martin , the boost-glide vehicle is propelled to a maximum speed of more than Mach 5 by a rocket motor before gliding toward its target. The program was cancelled in March 2023 after multiple failed tests. The program, however, continued despite
90-557: A B-52 bomber, was a failure as the solid rocket motor failed to ignite. On December 15, 2021, the third flight test failed to launch as well. On March 9, 2022, Congress halved funding for ARRW and transferred the balance to ARRW's R&D account to allow for further testing, which puts the procurement contract at risk. On May 14, 2022, the 419th Flight Test Squadron and the Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base conducted
135-514: A larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. As part of this dispersal, SAC established the 4026th Strategic Wing at Wurtsmith in 1958 and the base expanded to accept bombers and tankers. 1960 saw a series of changes for the group. In January, the 445th Squadron traded its Scorpions for supersonic McDonnell F-101 Voodoos . SAC's expanding mission saw
180-566: A live AGM-183A carried by a B-52 bomber as part of a training event. On March 17, 2024, the USAF conducted its final planned end-to-end test launch of the AGM-183A, successfully launching one out of a B-52 bomber taking off from Andersen Air Force Base. According to a USAF statement issued on 20 March. “The Air Force gained valuable insights into the capabilities of this technology,” the statement added without giving further details, including whether
225-635: A program cost of $ 2.2 billion. A "Super-Duper Missile" was announced by US President Donald Trump during a press availability in the Oval Office on May 15, 2020. According to Trump, the weapon is 17 times faster than existing missiles in the United States arsenal; however, Kingston Reif of the Arms Control Association believes the claim may have been a misstatement. PBS news correspondent Nick Schifrin has theorized that
270-529: A series of new lifting bodies, technology demonstrators and half-scale models that might make space flight, research and development safer and more economical, were tested at Edwards by NASA . Other projects of the 412th included XF-35A Lightning II and Boeing X-32 , competing models for the Joint Strike Fighter program, made their first flights in September and October 2000. The X-35A won
315-484: Is a wing of the United States Air Force , assigned to the Air Force Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base , California. The 412th Test Wing plans, conducts, analyzes, and reports on all flight and ground testing of aircraft, weapons systems, software and components as well as modeling and simulation for the USAF. It is also the host wing for Edwards Air Force Base , Calif. – the 2nd largest base in
360-537: The 6510th Test Wing was established and activated at Edwards Air Force Base , California as part of a re-organization of units at Edwards by Air Force Systems Command . The 6510th assumed the flying mission of the Air Force Flight Test Center , which was established in June 1951. The new wing had a long, established history at Edwards, having been the base host unit since the establishment of
405-413: The 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and moving to Elmendorf Air Force Base , Alaska on 20 August 1957, while the 18th moved from Ladd Air Force Base , Alaska to Wurtsmith. Strategic Air Command (SAC) believed its bases with large concentrations of Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers made attractive targets for Soviet missiles. SAC's response was to break up its wings and scatter their aircraft over
450-408: The 412th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was activated by Air Defense Command (ADC) at Wurtsmith Air Force Base , Michigan, where it assumed the mission, personnel and equipment of the 527th Air Defense Group , which was simultaneously inactivated. This action was part of ADC's Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in
495-563: The 412th Fighter Group was activated at Muroc Army Air Field , California. Testing of the Bell P-59 Airacomet jet fighter was being conducted at a site on the north shore of Rogers Dry Lakebed , about six miles away from the training base at Muroc. The group remained a headquarters-only group until 11 March 1944 when the 445th Fighter Squadron was assigned to begin flying the Airacomet for operational testing. In June,
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#1732780002061540-587: The Lockheed XP-80 Shooting Star . As with virtually all of the test programs conducted during the war years, most of the initial flight test work on the XP-59 had been conducted by the contractor. The group developed training programs and trained aircrew and ground personnel as cadres for newly formed jet aircraft-equipped units. Problems with the planes' Allison J33 engines kept the group's Shooting Stars grounded through part of 1945, and
585-491: The "Super-Duper Missile" is the AGM-183A, as has the China Times . The AGM-183A had a claimed maximum speed of more than 15,000 miles per hour (24,000 km/h; Mach 20). The weapon used a boost-glide system, in which it was propelled to hypersonic speed by a rocket on which it was mounted before gliding toward a target. According to Popular Mechanics , the U.S. Air Force was, as of April 2020, considering using
630-519: The 4-digit AFSC 6510th Test Wing on 2 October 1992 by reactivating the 412th Test Wing, which assumed the mission, personnel and equipment of the 6510th. The 412th also was consolidated with the 6510th, which preserved the history and honors of the provisional AFSC unit since its establishment in 1978. In the early 1990s, AFSC received Y F-22A and the YF-23A Advanced Tactical Fighters. The two prototype fighters were
675-743: The 412th TW in the 1990s. RQ-4 Global Hawk , an unmanned aerial vehicle that has been used extensively in Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq), made its first flight at Edwards in February 1998 and has gone on to fill a critical role in the Global War on Terrorism . The Martin Marietta X-24A , Lockheed Martin X-33 , Orbital Sciences X-34 and X-38 Space Station Crew Return Vehicle ,
720-486: The 412th became one of the first two groups in ADC to place its F-89Js armed with 2 nuclear MB-1 Genie missiles, one under each wing, on alert. These aircraft were on thirty-minute "standby alert" in addition to the 412th's requirement to maintain aircraft on five-minute alert armed with conventional weapons. Alert aircraft armed with Genies could not be launched to identify unknown aircraft unless at DEFCON 1. On 8 June 1956
765-586: The AGM-183A ARRW ("Arrow"), underwent an initial captive carry flight test aboard a U.S. Air Force B-52 in June 2019. In February 2020, the Trump Administration proposed a 23% increase in funding for hypersonic weapons, and the same month, the U.S. Air Force announced it had decided to move forward with acquisition of the AGM-183A. In March 2020, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael D. Griffin stated that
810-563: The ARRW's avionics, sensors and communications systems, was successful. The test did not use any of the ARRW's systems but instead used a B-52 based system. On a flight to Alaska from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, the B-52 was able to receive target data from over 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 km) away. In July 2021, a second flight test at Point Mugu Sea Range, again being dropped from
855-478: The Air Force conducted another test of the ARRW, and said it had "gained valuable new insights into the capabilities of this new, cutting-edge technology". On November 15, 2023, Lockheed Martin announced that the program was at a point where the company and its suppliers were ready for low-rate manufacture following breakthroughs in development. On February 28, 2024, Andersen Air Force Base released pictures of
900-472: The Air Force. The wing oversees base day-to-day operations and provides support for over 10,000 military, federal civilian and contract personnel assigned to a 470 square mile installation. Approximately 1500 Test Wing Desert Warriors directly support the test and evaluation mission of the Air Force Test Center and the 412th Test Wing. The wing is responsible for operating the base, including
945-567: The Fiscal Year 2025 budget, released March 11, 2024, no funding was provided for procurement or further research and development of the AGM-183, effectively ending the project. Hypersonic weapons A hypersonic weapon is a weapon capable of travelling at hypersonic speed , defined as between 5 and 25 times the speed of sound . Below such speeds, weapons would be characterized as subsonic or supersonic , while above such speeds,
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#1732780002061990-673: The USAF Flight Test Center. In the late 1970s, the Wing flew flight tests on the F-15C Eagle with its advanced engine and fire-control system; the single-engine F-16C Fighting Falcon with its revolutionary, "fly-by-wire" flight control system; and the Rockwell B-1A and the later B-1B Lancer in the 1980s with its multitude of highly sophisticated offensive and defensive systems. These planes more than bore out
1035-576: The United States Air Force conducted a hypersonic test-launch of an operational AGM-183A prototype from a Boeing B-52H Stratofortress by the 412th Test Wing located at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the test had failed. On August 19, 2023, the Air Force conducted another test of the ARRW, and said it had "gained valuable new insights into the capabilities" of ARRW. On October 12, 2023,
1080-491: The United States was "close at hand" to having a hypersonic boost-glide weapon ready to field. In early 2023, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that a production run of 300 ARRWs would have a unit cost of $ 14.9 million per missile and a program cost of $ 5.3 billion including platform integration and 20 years of sustainment. For a production run of 100, each copy would cost $ 18 million with
1125-508: The arrival of the first giant flying wing to soar over the base in nearly 40 years. The thin silhouette, compound curves and other low-observable characteristics of the B-2 Spirit bomber represented third-generation stealth technology, following the SR-71 and F-117. In June 1992, Air Force Systems Command was inactivated, being replaced by Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC). AFMC replaced
1170-461: The atmosphere. The Silbervogel was the first design for a hypersonic weapon and was developed by German scientists in the 1930s. In the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , Russia was seen to have fielded operational weapons and used them for combat. The Kremlin presents new hypersonic weapons as supposedly capable of overcoming "any" foreign missile defense systems, with the "pre-nuclear deterrence" concept contained in its 2014 iteration of
1215-432: The cancellation and was announced to still be in development following additional, undisclosed testing. However in 2024 it was announced that in the fiscal year 2025 budget, no funding would be provided for procurement or further research and development. In August 2018, the U.S. Air Force awarded a $ 480 million contract to Lockheed Martin for the development of an air-launched hypersonic weapon. The resulting missile,
1260-419: The first All-Up-Round (AUR) test on December 9, 2022. This test included both the booster and hypersonic glide vehicle. The USAF 412th Test Wing used a B-52H Stratofortress, at Edwards Air Force Base. Test was deemed a success, test range sensors malfunctioned, preventing the Air Force from fully knowing whether the glide vehicle and warhead performed as intended in the terminal flight phase. On March 13, 2023,
1305-531: The first airplanes to blend stealth technology with agility and high-speed, supersonic cruise capability. The YF-22A was selected to become the Air Force's new advanced tactical fighter after a brief demonstration and validation risk reduction flight test program. Now named the Raptor, the F-22A continues to undergo test and evaluation by the Wing's 411th Flight Test Squadron . A new group of research projects came to
1350-473: The first successful test of the ARRW off the coast of Southern California. The weapon demonstrated separation from the B-52H Stratofortress . Its booster ignited and burned for the expected duration, and the weapon was able to achieve speeds greater than Mach 5 (6,100 km/h; 3,800 mph). The USAF conducted another successful test of the missile on July 12, 2022. The USAF completed
1395-493: The group expanded when a second fighter squadron, the 31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was activated. The 31st flew the single seat Convair F-102 Delta Dagger , which, like the later model F-89s of the 445th, was equipped with data link for interception control through the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment system. However the 31st remained at Wurtsmith only briefly, before swapping places with
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1440-412: The group moved to Palmdale Army Air Field , California and was brought up to full strength in the summer, when the 29th and 31st Fighter Squadrons were assigned. Its original mission was to conduct tests and engage in experimental aircraft work as part of IV Fighter Command . The 412th was the first American jet fighter group to be activated. The P-59A was shortly joined by a second jet fighter,
1485-526: The infrastructure, communication systems, security, fire protection, transportation, supply, finance, contracting, legal services, personnel and manpower support, housing, education, chapel and quality of life programs on a 301,000-acre base in the middle of the Mojave Desert, the second largest base in the U.S. Air Force. The 412th TW is host to over 100,000 visitors annually and supports over 25,000 dependents, retirees, and veterans. Major units within
1530-425: The molecules of the atmosphere disassociate into a plasma which makes control and communication difficult. There are multiple types of hypersonic weapon: Other types of weapons, such as traditional ballistic missiles , may achieve hypersonic speeds but are not typically classified as hypersonic weapons due to lacking the use of aerodynamic lift to allow their reentry vehicles to maneuver under guided flight within
1575-589: The official Russian Military Doctrine . A volley of Russian hypersonic missiles were launched at Kyiv in January 2023. See also Hypersonic flight#Hypersonic weapons , National Defense Space Architecture Plans, programs and projects for such weaponry include: [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from Kelley M. Sayler. Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress (PDF) . Congressional Research Service . 412th Test Wing The 412th Test Wing (412 TW)
1620-559: The plan's accident rate was twice that of any other fighter in the Army Air Forces inventory. In November 1945, the group moved to March Field , California, where the 39th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron was attached to it to begin testing the P-80 as a reconnaissance aircraft. The group was inactivated on 3 July 1946 and its mission, personnel and jet aircraft were transferred to the 1st Fighter Group . On 18 August 1955
1665-417: The prophecy concerning the ever-increasing importance of systems testing and integration. At a remote location in 1978 and 1979, an AFFTC test pilot and a pair of flight test engineers were engaged in proof-of-concept testing with Lockheed's "low-observable" technology demonstrator, dubbed "Have Blue." The successful conduct of these tests led immediately to the development of a new subsonic attack aircraft that
1710-632: The remaining fleet of B-1B bombers as AGM-183A firing platforms, with each aircraft carrying up to 31 hypersonic weapons (between ARRW and HAWC ) mounted on the Common Strategic Rotary Launcher and on external pylons. A booster flight test of ARRW took place in April 2021 at Point Mugu Sea Range , off the coast of Southern California but did not launch successfully; this was the eighth test for ARRW. Another test in May 2021 for
1755-574: The test was deemed a success. On March 29, 2023, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics , Andrew Hunter told the House Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, a committee responsible for providing oversight for military ammunition, acquisition, and aviation programs, that the AGM-183A program would not proceed, although the ARRW program's last two all-up round test flights would proceed in order to collect data to help with future hypersonic programs. In
1800-504: The transfer of Wursmith to its jurisdiction on 1 April, along with all support units. The impending move of the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron to Grand Forks Air Force Base would leave only one fighter squadron on the base. As a result the 412th Fighter Group was inactivated and the 445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was reassigned to the Sault Sainte Marie Air Defense Sector . On 1 March 1978,
1845-476: The two world wars. The 445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron moved from Geiger Field , Washington and assumed the Northrop F-89D Scorpions of the 527th's 87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron , since Project Arrow also reunited fighter squadrons with their traditional group headquarters . These two seat interceptor aircraft were radar equipped and armed with Mighty Mouse rockets . The 412th
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1890-594: The wing include the 412th Mission Support and the 412th Medical Groups, as well the 412th Civil Engineer/Transportation Directorate, 412th Security Forces Squadron and the Services and Comptroller Divisions. Staff agencies include chaplain services, base comptroller, inspector general, manpower and organization, and military equal opportunity and public affairs. [REDACTED] Media related to 412th Test Wing (United States Air Force) at Wikimedia Commons The 412th Test Wing's origins can be traced to 29 November 1943 when
1935-649: Was also assigned several support organizations as the host for active duty USAF units at Wurtsmith. The mission of the group was the air defense of the Upper Great Lakes region. In March 1956 the group's 445th Squadron became the first unit in ADC to convert to the F-89H, which could carry the GAR-1 Falcon in addition to Mighty Mouse rockets. The squadron soon upgraded to the F-89J. On 1 January 1957
1980-652: Was designated the F-117A Nighthawk . The wing performed free-flight testing of the Space Transportation System (STS) for NASA from 1978–1980, and in April 1981 recovered the shuttle Columbia following the first-ever orbital mission of a reusable spacecraft. The wing continues to provide an alternate landing site services for STS recovery, most recently for the Atlantis during its STS-117 mission. The dual-role F-15E Strike Eagle
2025-697: Was developed in the 1980s and went on to demonstrate remarkable combat effectiveness in the 1991 Persian Gulf conflict . The Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night , or LANTIRN, system revolutionized air-to-ground combat operations during the Gulf War by the same conflict by denying Saddam Hussein 's forces the once comforting sanctuary of night. The wing deployed support personnel and equipment to Southwest Asia for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm from, August 1990 – March 1991. While deployed, it performed tests on radar and weapons system accuracy. The late 1980s also witnessed
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