US Mayhem spyplane falling from hypersonic grace

The US Air Force’s Mayhem program, designed to field an air-launched hypersonic vehicle capable of strike and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, hangs in the balance amid funding challenges that threaten major delays in next-phase development, The Warzone reported.

In 2022, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) awarded a contract with a US$334 million ceiling for the Mayhem program to <a href=«https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/LDOS?.tsrc=» https:>Leidos

, an American defense, aviation, information technology, and biomedical research company headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

The contract, for a “larger class air-breathing hypersonic system, also included roles for contractors Calspan, the Draper Laboratory and <a href=«https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/KTOS?.tsrc=» https:>Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

.

The WarZone report says the project is expected to complete the first task order on the current contract this year after the Conceptual Design Review/System Requirements Review (CoDR/SRR).

However, the program did not receive funding in fiscal year 2024 beyond the scope of task order 1 CoDR/SRR, resulting in a year-on-year slowdown in the development of a digital design and enabling technologies until funds are restored.

The Warzone notes that the demand, or “operational pull”, for a hypersonic air vehicle for strike missions and ISR is unclear. It says that the designs and technologies advanced through the program may never produce a physical demonstrator and may instead provide a stepping stone to other hypersonic capabilities, including next-generation stand-off weapons and reusable hypersonic aircraft.

Renewed great power competition between the US on one side and China and Russia on