Latest news with #CommonHypersonicGlideBody
Epoch Times
02-05-2025
- Science
- Epoch Times
US Navy Successfully Tests Sea-Based Hypersonic Missile Launch
The U.S. Navy announced on Friday it had achieved a significant milestone in its hypersonic weapons program with the first At Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 2, the Navy conducted the first end-to-end flight test of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) missile using a cold-gas ejection method, Navy officials said in a statement. They described the approach as being able to safely eject the missile from the launch platform before igniting its first stage—a critical feature for shipboard launches, the Navy added. Vice Adm. Johnny R. Wolfe Jr., Director of the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, said the system is progressing toward deployment. 'The cold-gas approach allows the Navy to eject the missile from the platform and achieve a safe distance above the ship prior to first stage ignition,' Wolfe said in the statement. 'This technical achievement brings SSP one step closer to fulfilling our role of providing a safe and reliable hypersonic capability to our Navy.' The CPS missile is a joint development between the Navy and the Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office and features the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB)—a The missile is designed to travel at speeds above Mach 5 and maneuver mid-flight, making it difficult to detect and intercept. Mach 5 speeds are 5 times the speed of sound, or Related Stories 1/6/2025 11/23/2024 Unlike the subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile—long considered the Navy's The USS Zumwalt, a stealth destroyer, is set to become the first naval vessel to deploy the CPS system. The ship is undergoing modifications to install four 87-inch vertical launch tubes, each capable of holding three hypersonic missiles, allowing it to carry up to 12 total. These tubes are replacing the ship's original 155mm Advanced Gun Systems, which were retired due to the prohibitive cost of ammunition. While the U.S. marks a milestone with this launch, it is not the first nation to demonstrate sea-based hypersonic capability. Russia has already conducted multiple successful The Navy emphasized that the successful test reflects the Pentagon's broader effort to accelerate hypersonic weapons development. While the Zumwalt's U.S. officials say new strike capabilities like the CPS missile are essential to preserving the American military advantage and deterring future threats.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US Army aiming for next hypersonic missile test in December
The U.S. Army has scheduled a test of its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, or LRHW, for December, the service's program executive officer for missiles and space told Defense News in a recent interview. After a lengthy delay as the Army and Navy struggled to test a jointly developed hypersonic glide body capability, the Army said earlier this year that it would field its ground-launched missiles to the first unit by the end of fiscal 2025. In fact, the Army is forecasting that the first unit to get the hypersonic capability will begin receiving the rounds at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, in the May time frame, Maj. Gen. Frank Lozano said. The 1st Multidomain Task Force, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade unit at JBLM received all equipment for the LRHW capability except for the actual live rounds in 2021. The unit was supposed to get the missiles in the fall of 2023 but several aborted test events forced the Army to push back its fielding plans. The Army is working to transition the LRHW program from the Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) to Program Executive Office Missiles & Space, but it won't formally join the portfolio until the first round is delivered, Lozano noted. Lockheed Martin, the lead weapon integrator for the truck-launched capability, is wrapping up work on the first round at its facility in Courtland, Alabama, according to Lozano. Leidos' Dynetics manufactures the common hypersonic glide body that will be supplied to both the Army and Navy versions of the weapon. The Army unit at JBLM will continue to receive rounds as they come off the production line throughout the year. The Army plans to couple a test firing of the round with soldiers from the unit at the console as part of their operational training in December because the rounds are 'very expensive,' Lozano said. 'We're trying to be efficient.' The U.S. is in a race to field the capability and develop systems to defend against hypersonic missiles, as China and Russia are actively developing and testing hypersonic weapons. Hypersonic weapons can fly faster than Mach 5 — or more than 3,836 miles per hour — but their ability to maneuver between varying altitudes sets them apart. Their maneuverability makes them much harder to detect and defeat. The Army conducted a successful end-to-end flight test of its hypersonic missile at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii in May 2024, bringing the initial fielding to the first unit closer to the horizon. The Army and Navy completed another successful all-up round test in December at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, or C-HGB. The test provided additional confidence to move forward with the system, which consists of a weapon's warhead, guidance system, cabling and thermal protection. The Navy's version, dubbed Conventional Prompt Strike, will be launched from ships. While the plan to field the weapon to the Army has taken nearly two years longer than planned, Army officials have been quick to point out that missile development programs typically take about 10 years. The LRHW program is just beyond the five-year mark.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Army will field its long-range hypersonic weapon by end of fiscal year
Following a lengthy delay as the U.S. Army and Navy struggled to test the round, the Army will field its long-range hypersonic weapon to the first unit by the end of fiscal 2025, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed Wednesday in a statement to Defense News. The Army had planned to field the live, ground-launched hypersonic rounds to the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade unit at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state by the fall of 2023. But the milestone continued to be pushed back after several aborted tests in 2023 due to challenges at the range, related not to the round, but the process of firing up the missile for launch. Testing the all-up round was considered critical to ensure the system was safe, effective and ready for fielding, said then-Army acquisition chief Doug Bush. The U.S. is in a race to field the capability and develop systems to defend against hypersonic missiles. China and Russia are actively developing and testing hypersonic weapons. The Army conducted an end-to-end successful flight test of its hypersonic missile at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii in May 2024, which put the initial fielding to the first unit closer on the horizon. Army's successful hypersonic missile test puts fielding on horizon The Army and Navy completed another successful all-up round test in December at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, of what the services call the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, or C-HGB. The test provided additional confidence to move forward with the program. 'This test builds on several flight tests in which the Common Hypersonic Glide Body achieved hypersonic speed at target distances and demonstrates that we can put this capability in the hands of the warfighter,' then-Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said in a Pentagon statement at the time of the test. The two services jointly developed the glide body. The Army will launch its version, which it calls the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, or LRHW, from a mobile ground platform. The Navy's version, dubbed Conventional Prompt Strike, will be launched from ships. Hypersonic weapons are capable of flying faster than Mach 5 — or more than 3,836 miles per hour — and can maneuver between varying altitudes, making them difficult to detect. The C-HGB is made up of the weapon's warhead, guidance system, cabling and thermal protection shield. While the plan to field the weapon to the U.S. Army has taken nearly two years longer than planned, Army officials have been quick to point out that missile development programs typically take about 10 years. The LRHW program is only just beyond the five-year mark. The Army has worked with Leidos' Dynetics for years to build the industrial base for the C-HGB that will be used by both the ground service and the Navy, as the domestic private sector has never built a hypersonic weapon. The service also separately produced launchers, trucks, trailers and the battle operations center necessary to put together the first weapon battery. Lockheed Martin is the weapon system integrator for the Army's hypersonic capability that will be launched from a mobile truck. In preparation for receiving the all-up rounds, the Army completed its delivery of the first hypersonic weapon capability — minus the rounds — to the Multi-Domain Task Force unit at JBLM two days ahead of its end-of-fiscal 2021 fielding deadline. The unit has been training on the system since the delivery.
