(Dan Tri) – War Zone said that there are more and more signs that the US Air Force is about to test the hypersonic missile AGM-183 ARRW in Guam, a move that, if it happens, will be unprecedented in the Pacific.
The AGM-183A ARRW missile is installed under a B-52 aircraft on the US island of Guam (Photo: US Air Force).
Last week, the US Air Force posted a photo of an AGM-183A missile under the wing of a B-52H bomber at Andersen Air Force Base on the US Pacific island of Guam.
The US Air Force has so far not confirmed or denied that it plans to launch ARRW from Guam.
Observers point out that the content of public warnings to pilots and sailors effective over the weekend suggests that the US will test an air-launched weapon over the Western Pacific this week.
Areas within the warning range combine to create a road that ends at the Reagan Test Site in Kwajalein Atoll, thousands of miles east of Guam.
Areas within the warning range combine to create a road that ends at the Reagan Test Site in Kwajalein Atoll, thousands of miles east of Guam (Photo: X/@M51_4ever).
The structure of ARRW mainly includes a large booster rocket and hypersonic glide vehicle.
The glider also has a high degree of maneuverability and is capable of adjusting course erratically throughout its flight, making it difficult to intercept.
The US Air Force announced that the purpose of bringing ARRW missiles to Guam is for weapons familiarization training.
Publicly available flight tracking data shows that at least 2-3 Gulfstream business jets dedicated to High Altitude Observatory (HALO) are operating from Guam.
Different operating principles between ballistic missiles (top), hypersonic glide vehicles (middle) and hypersonic cruise missiles (Photo: GAO).
It is possible that the above preparations at the Reagan Test Site are not for ARRW.
If it takes place, the ARRW test will be the first time the US military publicly demonstrates true hypersonic weapons capabilities in the extreme Western Pacific.
The Chinese military has put into service at least one type of hypersonic missile, the DF-17, and is actively researching many other types of ground-, air- and sea-launched missiles.
US military officials have admitted that the US lags behind in the field of hypersonic weapons, including the development of hypersonic missiles launched from the ground and at sea.
Hannah 
Martin