Ireland Degges
Adversaries’ success in the development, testing and deployment of hypersonic weapons now poses an immediate threat to the United States. Once a leader in hypersonics, the nation has begun to fall behind its competitors, and now, the federal government and military services have created a full-scale plan of attack to retake the top spot in the race to perfect this critical technology.
Hypersonics, a class of weapons able to travel at above five times the speed of sound, were highlighted as a key priority in the Department of Defense’s 2022 National Defense Strategy. Released at the same time, the Missile Defense Review noted the hypersonics capabilities of several adversaries and emphasized the urgent need to fortify the U.S. hypersonics arsenal to support deterrence and promote strategic stability through targeted technology investments.
The federal government has taken numerous steps to make these goals a reality. Part of its efforts to boost U.S. hypersonics programs was the creation of a joint Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and U.S. Air Force initiative dedicated to hypersonics testing. The Hypersonic Airbreathing Weapon Concept concluded in January with a successful flight test of the Lockheed Martin-built missile, a major leap forward in the nation’s hypersonics progress.
Shortly before the project was completed, DARPA began developing the Glide Breaker hypersonic missile defense system, Breaking Defense reported in November 2022. Separated into two stages, the program is focused on building a divert and attitude control system and wind tunnel and flight testing.
In March, President Biden authorized the use of the Defense Production Act Title III authorities, a move that allowed the DOD to accelerate the transition of operational prototypes and advanced manufacturing technologies related to hypersonic systems.
Supplementing this authorization is the DOD’s fiscal year 2024 budget request, which dedicates $11 billion to hypersonic and long-range subsonic missiles to bolster its long range fires capabilities and adapt to the future warfighting space. Part of these funds are allocated to the procurement of 24 new hypersonic missiles in FY 2024 as well as improving the prototyping and testing of these weapons in 2025. Another $29.8 billion of the budget request is dedicated to missile defeat and defense, an area in which hypersonic capabilities are critical.
These efforts are just a glimpse into the DOD’s comprehensive hypersonics playbook. For a deeper look into the department’s strategy and ongoing initiatives, ExecutiveBiz is hosting its 2023 Hypersonics Forum on August 15. This exciting event will bring together hypersonics specialists to consider the challenges and priorities shaping the nation’s ongoing battle to regain superiority in hypersonics for a stable future.
