Roundup: US hypersonic-missile efforts
Two of the three U.S. hypersonic weapons programs—the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike, the Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon—use a common missile body, while the Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile has its own air-launched design.
The common body—formally, the Common Hypersonic Glide Body—is based on the Alternate Re-Entry System developed by the Army and Sandia National Laboratory. Its maneuverable “glide body” design is intended to evade detection and interception. Work on the C-HGB is underway by several defense contractors, including Leidos, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and General Atomics.
Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon. The Army's LRHW pairs the common body with the Navy’s 34.5-inch booster, which drops off after accelerating the missile to hypersonic speeds and a range of more than 1,725 miles. The missile portion is under development by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Once integrated with the glide body, the complete system becomes the Navy–Army All-Up Round (AUR) plus Canister, a shared two-stage booster designed for launch from surface ships and submarines.
A December 2024 test marked the first live-fire event using a Battery Operations Center and Transporter Erector Launcher. The FY2024 Director Operational Test and Evaluation report said the office had insufficient data to assess LRHW’s effectiveness or survivability. For FY2026, the Army is requesting $513 million for research, development, test, and evaluation.
Conventional Prompt Strike. The missile consists of a two-stage solid-rocket booster and a C-HGB, launched with a cold-gas mechanism. It is to start rolling out to Zumwalt-class destroyers and Virginia-class submarines in the next year. However, the FY2024 DOT&E report indicates insufficient data to fully assess CPS effectiveness. The Navy has requested $798.3 million for RDT&E for fiscal 2026.
Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile. The Air Force initially pursued the AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, but setbacks in 2023 led to the program's cancellation the following year. In April 2023, the Air Force shifted focus to the smaller, more maneuverable HACM, which uses a jettisonable booster followed by an air-breathing engine.
The HACM is intended for fighter jets and bombers; B-52s might carry 20 or more. The Air Force requested $802.8 million for HACM in fiscal 2026, and operational deployment is planned by FY2027.
Hypersonic systems operate at speeds above Mach 5; they are distinguished from faster-flying ICBMs by their flatter trajectory and maneuverability. China reportedly has five hypersonic missile series in testing or operational use.