The US Air Force may be about to make an unprecedented move in the Pacific

War Zone commented that there are more and more signs that the US Air Force is about to test the AGM-183 ARRW hypersonic missile in Guam, a move that, if it happens, will be unprecedented in the Pacific.
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. This missile was brought here for B-52 flight crews to practice, according to a statement on February 27.

The US Air Force has so far not confirmed or denied that it plans to launch ARRW from Guam. But there are signs that the US is about to test a hypersonic missile

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. This is consistent with ARRW's operating mechanism, according to War Zone.
The structure of ARRW mainly includes a large booster rocket and hypersonic glide vehicle. Once the rocket propels the warhead to its optimal altitude and speed, the engine and nose will fall off, revealing the hypersonic glide vehicle. This vehicle will follow a relatively low flight path to the target at hypersonic speed - a speed five times faster than sound.

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. They also made a similar statement before deploying the latest ARRW test in 2023, at Edwards Air Force Airport in California.

Publicly available flight tracking data shows that at least 2-3 Gulfstream business jets dedicated to the High Altitude Observatory (HALO) are operating from Guam. HALO aircraft have previously been used to support ARRW tests.
It is possible that the above preparations at the Reagan Test Site are not for ARRW. But if they do so, the US Air Force will spend an unusually large amount of resources just to bring one of the few AGM-183A missiles in stock to Guam just for weapons familiarization training.

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. This will be an unprecedented show of strength in the region, sending a strategic message to potential opponents like China, as well as to allies and partners.

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. Russia has also developed and put into use its own hypersonic missile

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. Therefore, the ARRW test from Guam would be more meaningful.