U.S. DoD Completes Second Flight Test of Reusable Hypersonic Vehicle in Pacific

The U.S. Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), working with Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane), completed its second flight of a fully recoverable uncrewed hypersonic test vehicle in March 2025.

The test took place within three months of the first flight in December 2024.

Both tests used the Stratolaunch Talon-A hypersonic vehicle, which was launched from the Roc carrier aircraft over the Pacific Ocean. The vehicle reached speeds above Mach 5 and landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base. This test campaign marks the first U.S. return to reusable hypersonic flight testing since the X-15 manned program ended in 1968.

The tests are part of the TRMC’s Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed (MACH-TB) project, aimed at supporting advanced hypersonic research and development.

George Rumford, Director of the TRMC, said, “Demonstrating the reuse of fully recoverable hypersonic test vehicles is an important milestone for MACH-TB. Lessons learned from this test campaign will help us reduce vehicle turnaround time from months down to weeks.”

The MACH-TB project provides a platform for the U.S. Department of Defense, other federal agencies, industry, and academia to perform hypersonic experiments and test system components quickly and cost-effectively.

NSWC Crane awarded the MACH-TB contract to Leidos using the Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA). Leidos, the prime contractor, subcontracted Stratolaunch, LLC to supply flight test services for the program.

The project’s goal is to accelerate the delivery of hypersonic capabilities to U.S. forces by improving testing capacity and speed.