The U.S. Army has publicly released images of the first element of its future hypersonic weapon system.
In photos released by the Pentagon, showing the first prototype hypersonic equipment for the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) battery.
The details were given in an Army’s release, to announce that the service began delivering the first prototype hypersonic equipment to Soldiers with the arrival of two training canisters.
Hypersonic weapons, capable of flying at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5+), are a new capability that provide a unique combination of speed, maneuverability and altitude to defeat time-critical, heavily-defended and high-value targets, according to a recent service news release.
Hypersonics is part of the Army’s number one modernization priority of Long Range Precision Fires, and is one of the highest priority modernization areas the Department of Defense is pursuing to ensure continued battlefield dominance.
The service press release also said that the Army will deliver all additional ground equipment for the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) prototype battery. LRHW battery fielding will complete in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 with the delivery of live missile rounds.
The new weapon system will provide a critical strategic weapon and a powerful deterrent against adversary capabilities for the U.S. Army. Hypersonic missiles can reach the top of the Earth’s atmosphere and remain just beyond the range of air and missile defense systems until they are ready to strike, and by then it’s too late to react. Extremely accurate, ultrafast, maneuverable and survivable, hypersonics can strike anywhere in the world within minutes.
