Missile AGM-HACM

The Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) is a scramjet-powered, air-launched hypersonic cruise missile developed jointly by the United States and Australia. It derives from the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) demonstrator and the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE) programme, both of which validated air-breathing propulsion at hypersonic speed. A development contract worth $985 million was awarded in December 2021, with a follow-on award in September 2022 establishing HACM as a U.S. Air Force Program of Record. Australian test facilities are to be used during the flight test campaign.

HACM is powered by a scramjet engine and sustains hypersonic speed throughout powered flight rather than following a ballistic boost-glide profile. It is designed to be smaller than the AGM-183 ARRW and to fly along markedly different trajectories, permitting depressed or manoeuvring flight paths in place of the high-apogee arc of a boost-glide weapon. The reduced dimensions allow carriage by tactical fighter aircraft rather than restricting employment to heavy bombers, the stated intent being to hold time-sensitive targets at risk with fighters while reserving bomber sorties for other tasking.

Following the U.S. Air Force decision in March 2023 not to proceed with ARRW procurement, HACM became the service's sole remaining hypersonic weapon programme. The Air Force confirmed it would purchase no hypersonic weapons in FY 2024; budget requests instead allocated $380 million for HACM research and development, followed by a proposed $517 million in FY 2025. Operational capability is targeted for FY 2027.

The programme's critical design review slipped from early 2024 to September 2024, compressing the flight test schedule. In June 2025 it was disclosed that the programme had fallen behind schedule and that only five test flights would precede the rapid fielding decision planned for FY 2027; earlier reporting had described the effort as ahead of schedule.

The United States and Australia are the intended operators. In Australian service HACM will be the fastest missile ever fielded by that country and the first hypersonic weapon operated in the Oceania region.