The US Navy and Army are jointly developing hypersonic technologies through the navy's Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) offensive hypersonic strike capability and the army's Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW). (US Navy)
President Joe Biden's budget request for fiscal year 2025, unveiled on 11 March, includes about USD744 million in procurement for the US Army's delayed long range hypersonic weapon (LRHW) missile system, more than four times the amount requested for procurement in fiscal year 2024.
After failing two flight tests in fiscal year 2023, LRHW is going back to testing in the boreal summer of calendar year 2024, Doug Bush, assistant secretary pf the army for acquisition, logistics, and technology, announced at the 2024 McAleese Defense Conference in Washington, DC. For fiscal year 2025, the service is requesting USD538 million for Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) in addition to the procurement amount, which would buy basic load of eight all-up round + canister (AUR+C).
To read more about the delays in testing, please read US Army unlikely to meet end-of-year hypersonic goal .
The revised testing programme this summer will include missile and launcher tests, Bush reporters during an embargoed pre-budget briefing on 8 March.
The funding would deliver an experimental LRHW prototype with “residual combat capability” in 2024 as part of the Long-Range Fires Battalion. The service's Multi-Domain Task Forces — new formations that include forward deployment in the Indo-Pacific — would include this type of battalion.
The 1 st MDTF is part of testing for the LRHW and has already received and is training with the ground-equipment for its battery in anticipation of LRHW missile deliveries. Ground support equipment is also included in the procurement funding for FY 2025.
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