On July 13, 2022, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the US Department of Defense announced that the first successful flight test of a missile developed under the auspices of DARPA of a promising ground-based hypersonic medium-range missile system Operational Fires (OpFires) was conducted at the White Sands missile range (New Mexico). The missile was launched from a mobile launcher based on the heavy military truck Oshkosh HEMTT LVSR (10x10) of the US Marine Corps. The main contractor for the development of the complex is Lockheed Martin Corporation.
The first test launch of a rocket of a promising ground-based hypersonic medium-range missile system Operational Fires (OpFires), being developed under the auspices of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the US Department of Defense. White Sands (New Mexico), 07/13/2022 (c) DARPA
No characteristics of the test launch are reported, but a DARPA press release says that during the test, "all goals were achieved", including the rocket's exit from the transport and launch container, the stable flight of the rocket and the use of regular US Army AFADTS artillery fire control systems for launch. "The tests demonstrated a comprehensive technological verification of key components, including a first-stage rocket engine, a transport and launch container and a missile launch module (Missile round pallet - MRP)." The missile launch module can be used (placed and used to launch missiles) on all US army vehicles equipped with the system of loading / unloading and transportation of palletized cargo PLS (Palletized Load System) type "multilift". This makes it possible to abandon the creation of a special launcher for the OpFires complex, using almost any machine with PLS to host the complex.
The Operational Fires (OpFires) complex began to be developed as part of a joint DARPA and US Army program in 2017. The official range of the complex is not disclosed, but it is considered close to 1000-1100 land miles (1600-1800 km). As can be seen, the OpFires complex is conceptually close to the AGM-183A ARRW air-launched missile being developed by Lockheed Martin for the US Air Force, with a solid-fuel accelerator (but two-stage) and a warhead in the form of the same detachable hypersonic Tactical Boost Glide (TBG) combat unit, also being developed by DARPA, as on the ARRW. The speed of the combat unit is officially stated as M > 5, and according to unofficial sources for TBG is actually between M = 6.5 and M = 8.
A feature of OpFires was the use of a specially developed "throttle" solid-fuel rocket engine of the second stage with the possibility of multiple shutdown and launch in flight. In 2018, DARPA entered into contracts for the development of this engine on a competitive basis with three companies: Aerojet Rocketdyne, Exquadrum and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). All three successfully demonstrated smaller versions of the engine and received additional contracts for the creation and ground bench tests of a full-scale engine. In May 2022, Lockheed Martin, as the main contractor, selected the Aerojet Rocketdyne engine for the second stage of the rocket. The first-stage accelerator engine is designed and manufactured by Northrop Grumman Corporation.
Since fiscal year 2022, the US Army has stopped funding the OpFires program for its part, which is apparently due to the decision to focus on the development of a similar, but longer-range ground-based hypersonic medium-range missile system LRHW (Long Range Hypersonic Weapon) Dark Eagle with a claimed range of 1,725 miles (2,775 km). But the OpFires project continues to be implemented by DARPA, which, in particular, received $45 million under this program in the same fiscal year 2022. OpFires is positioned as a lighter, cheaper and more versatile based complex than the LRHW Dark Eagle. In particular, it is reported that Lockheed Martin is exploring the possibility of using the OpFires missile from the launcher of the American M142 HIMARS missile system.
According to DARPA's statement about the first successful flight test of the rocket, "as part of the OpFires program, a critical review of the integrated system will be completed in 2022" - apparently in order to determine further development prospects. Full-scale tests of the complete rocket were previously planned to begin in 2023.
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The first test launch of a rocket of a promising ground-based hypersonic medium-range missile system Operational Fires (OpFires), being developed under the auspices of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the US Department of Defense. White Sands (New Mexico), 07/13/2022 (c) footage from the DARPA video (via Telegram channel Nuclear Petrel Maxim )
The design image of the launcher of a promising ground-based hypersonic medium-range missile system Operational Fires (OpFires) using a standard heavy military truck Oshkosh HEMTT LVSR (10x10), equipped with a system of loading / unloading and transportation of palletized cargo PLS (Palletized Load System) type "multilift" (c) Lockheed Martin
Video (from) DARPA :
