US Navy conducts successful test of intermediate range hypersonic glide vehicle over 2,000 miles

[F-22Raptor]

The Pentagon successfully demonstrated a hypersonic glide vehicle Oct. 30, lofting an experimental payload on a rocket from Hawaii that -- during its ultra-fast, unpowered flight more than 2,000 nautical miles to the Marshall Islands across the upper reaches of the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean -- verified technological advances relevant to a potential future U.S. military hypersonic strike system. The event -- dubbed Flight Experiment-1 -- was a high-stakes assessment three years in the making by the Defense Department's...

https://insidedefense.com/inside-navy/dod-flies-experimental-hypersonic-payload-claims-success

Huge news! It has also been confirmed that the Navy plans to arm Ohio and Virginia class subs with the weapon.

 

[F-22Raptor]

The Navy Strategic Systems Program and the Department of Defense this week tested a conventional prompt strike capability that could one day be fielded from guided-missile submarines.

The Pentagon’s conventional prompt global strike capability would allow the U.S. to hit any target on the planet with precision-guided weapons in less than an hour, supplementing the comparable nuclear strike capability and serving as another deterrence effort.

Strategic Systems Program (SSP) Director Vice Adm. Terry Benedict said on Nov. 2 that “I’m very proud to report that at 0300 on Monday night SSP flew from Hawaii [Pacific Missile Range Facility] … the first conventional prompt strike missile for the United States Navy in the form factor that would eventually, could eventually be utilized if leadership chooses to do so in an Ohio-class tube. It’s a monumental achievement.”

The admiral spoke at the Naval Submarine League’s annual symposium in Arlington, Va. He credited his organization for, in addition to working on the nuclear weapons that support the Ohio-class boomers and their Columbia-class replacement in development now, “we have supported the OSD AT&L defense-wide account for technology demonstration, and on our first go out of the box a very successful flight of a conventional prompt strike maneuvering reentry body.”

Four Ohio-class SSBNs were previously converted to guided-missile submarines (SSGNs) to carry conventional weapons. These four subs — or future Virginia-class attack submarines with the Virginia Payload Module that inserts additional missile tube capacity into the smaller boat — would likely be the ones contributing to conventional prompt global strike, if Pentagon leadership were to pursue the idea being tested now, the Strategic Systems Program office told USNI News.

When asked about the test during a question and answer session, Benedict said he could not comment further and had to refer all questions to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (OUSD(AT&L)), which manages the conventional prompt strike capability.

Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Patrick Evans told USNI News today that “the Navy Strategic Systems Program (SSP), on behalf of the Department of Defense, conducted an Intermediate Range Conventional Prompt Strike Flight Experiment-1 (CPS FE-1) test on Oct. 30, 2017, from Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii. The test collected data on hypersonic boost-glide technologies and test-range performance for long-range atmospheric flight. This data will be used by the Department of Defense to anchor ground testing, modeling, and simulation of hypersonic flight vehicle performance and is applicable to a range of possible Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) concepts.”

In addition to Navy and AT&L assets, the Missile Defense Agency participated in tracking and data collection activities, he added.

Evans added that AT&L “is investigating technologies and concepts that are potentially useful for developing intermediate-range conventional capabilities through modeling and simulation, ground tests, and flight test experiments. OUSD(AT&L) uses a national team, comprised of Navy, Army, Air Force, national research laboratories, and university affiliated research centers, to pursue technology development objectives. The Navy was assigned to lead the Flight Experiment 1 (FE-1).”

https://news.usni.org/2017/11/03/na...conventional-prompt-strike-ohio-class-boomers

 

[Sucha Kuggu]

ultra-fast, unpowered

relay??? either one can be true.

 

[AMDR]

This is stunning news. I have been following this program ever since the AHW failure in 2014. They kept this super low-key considering the implications, InsideDefense has done a good job keeping track of it.

These four subs — or future Virginia-class attack submarines with the Virginia Payload Module that inserts additional missile tube capacity into the smaller boat — would likely be the ones contributing to conventional prompt global strike

This is arguably a better option than than CONUS-based PGS with what the Army had in the AHW. The Russians absolutely despise the PGS concept, they talk about it all the time. So it is good to see that we are pursuing this further.

This pretty much confirms that the VA-class is going to become of unparalleled importance in the future, even more so than it is now. Its unbelievable to think that the Block V might have 1000-mile anti-ship tomahawks, LRASMs, and now this. Our long range strike capabilities are shaping up to be very well balanced out, between longer ranged carrier aviation, lots of B-21s, the LRPF, and now a subsurface hypersonic strike component.

 

[F-22Raptor]

This is stunning news. I have been following this program ever since the AHW failure in 2014. They kept this super low-key considering the implications, InsideDefense has done a good job keeping track of it.


This is arguably a better option than than CONUS-based PGS with what the Army had in the AHW. The Russians absolutely despise the PGS concept, they talk about it all the time. So it is good to see that we are pursuing this further.

This pretty much confirms that the VA-class is going to become of unparalleled importance in the future, even more so than it is now. Its unbelievable to think that the Block V might have 1000-mile anti-ship tomahawks, LRASMs, and now this. Our long range strike capabilities are shaping up to be very well balanced out, between longer ranged carrier aviation, lots of B-21s, the LRPF, and now a subsurface hypersonic strike component.

When you consider the range of this weapon, the US Navy would be able to strike targets in NK and China well beyond the first island chain. It will be almost impossible to track Virginia's and Ohio's out at that range. An when you factor in the new weapons being built, the US military will become highly lethal.

This test, along with the information that it will be deployed on subs, is no doubt a message to US adversaries. I'd be worried to.

This is stunning news. I have been following this program ever since the AHW failure in 2014. They kept this super low-key considering the implications, InsideDefense has done a good job keeping track of it.


This is arguably a better option than than CONUS-based PGS with what the Army had in the AHW. The Russians absolutely despise the PGS concept, they talk about it all the time. So it is good to see that we are pursuing this further.

This pretty much confirms that the VA-class is going to become of unparalleled importance in the future, even more so than it is now. Its unbelievable to think that the Block V might have 1000-mile anti-ship tomahawks, LRASMs, and now this. Our long range strike capabilities are shaping up to be very well balanced out, between longer ranged carrier aviation, lots of B-21s, the LRPF, and now a subsurface hypersonic strike component.

Actually, when you play around with ranges on a map, the US could strike targets in central and western China from the Indian Ocean. Like I said, almost impossible to stop.

 

[AMDR]

When you consider the range of this weapon, the US Navy would be able to strike targets in NK and China well beyond the first island chain. It will be almost impossible to track Virginia's and Ohio's out at that range. An when you factor in the new weapons being built, the US military will become highly lethal.

This test, along with the information that it will be deployed on subs, is no doubt a message to US adversaries. I'd be worried to.

I remember you posted a thread (also from InsideDefense) stating that the SecDef told EUCOM and PACOM a while back that they would have an early Prompt Global Strike capability in the 2018-2022 time frame. I wonder, since this is the only known PGS program active, if they leaning towards quickly getting out a limited number of weaponized versions on the SSGNs so they at least have something on hand until the program matures more.

Actually, when you play around with ranges on a map, the US could strike targets in central and western China from the Indian Ocean. Like I said, almost impossible to stop.

Another thing to consider would be the possible terminal guidance options that might come in later variants. PGS centers around a time-critical, relocatable target set. Because of that, I wonder if they are planning on including a terminal radar seeker. If they do, the ship killing capacity of such a weapon, deployed on a highly survivable platform like a Virginia with a very long range like you said, would be unbelievable.