The U.S. Air Force has decided to incrementally purchase hypersonic weapons instead of procuring the technology in large quantities, Flight Global reported Monday.Will Roper, assistant secretary for acquisition and technology, USAF, said that the service branch intends to achieve initial operational capability for its Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon by 2020.
He added, however, that the plan may undergo delays due to issues with testing.
The Air Force will then wait for improvements in future developments of hypersonic weaponry and purchase initial versions of Lockheed Martin‘s HCSW only in small quantities, Roper noted.
Lockheed is currently working on a number of hypersonic technologies for the U.S. military, including an intermediate-range booster for the U.S. Navy.
