Rocket Motor Tested for U.S. Army, Navy's Common Hypersonic Missile

A rocket motor that will form the first stage of the U.S. Army & Navy’s Common Hypersonic Missile was successfully tested Thursday by the Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP).

The test took place at Promontory, Utah as part of the development of the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) offensive hypersonic strike capability and the Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW).

The first stage SRM will be part of a new missile booster for the services, and will be combined with a Common Hypersonic Glide Body (CHGB) to create the common hypersonic missile.  Each service will use the common hypersonic missile, while developing individual weapon systems and launchers tailored for launch from sea or land, an official service release said.

This successful SRM test represents a critical milestone leading up to the next Navy and Army joint flight test, which will take place in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2022, and ultimately the fielding of the CPS and LRHW weapon systems.

The Department of Defense successfully tested the CHGB on March 20, 2020.  The services are working closely with government national laboratories and industry to continue development and production of the CHGB. The Navy led the glide body design effort, and the Army is leading the production effort.

Information gathered from this and future tests will further inform the services offensive hypersonic technology development.  The Department of Defense (DoD) is working in collaboration with industry, government national laboratories, and academia to field hypersonic warfighting capability in the early-to mid-2020s.

Hypersonic weapons, capable of flying at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5), are highly maneuverable and operate at varying altitudes. In a matter of minutes, Navy and Army warfighters can defeat high-value targets hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Delivering hypersonic weapons is one of the DoD's highest priorities.

The common hypersonic missile design for sea and land-based applications provides economies of scale for future production, and relies upon a growing U.S. hypersonics industrial base.