U.S. Navy’s Hypersonic Missile Launcher Slated for Flight Testing Next Year

WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin will have a ship-based hypersonic missile launcher ready for flight tests next year, the company said, as part of the development Work covered by the Feb. 18 contract.

A collaboration between the Army, Navy and Army has already resulted in the hypersonic rocket being in flight. This will continue for the remainder of this year before the Army forms its first hypersonic-missile battery in 2023. The Army already has a basic truck-towed rocket launcher and a standard weapon command system, both of which were developed under a previous weapon system integration contract.

Steve Layne, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Hypersonic Strike Warrior Systems, said that the award of a $1.2 billion contract last week will leverage the progress made to develop a sea-based hypersonic capability.

Lockheed Martin will create a new launcher system for the Zumwalt’s destroyer. In addition, the weapon control systems will be adjusted to the maritime environment. Next round of flight trials will examine the changes that will transform the basic hypersonic weapon system in the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike system.

Layne indicated that Lockheed Martin and the Navy are well over a year behind in developing the ship-based rocket launcher.

“We’re mid-way through that development phase right now,” He said this in an interview on February 21st. “We’ve done a lot of sub-scale and full-scale testing and proofing on that capability, and more to follow as we move through 2023.”

This year’s development work will result in “a flight test campaign next year.”

Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe was the head of Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs Office. He stated that the ship-based launcher would need to be fired from the launcher using pressurized water to reach a sufficient height to allow it to light the missile without torching any decks below. He stated that early Navy was possible. Tests had already demonstrated this to be possible.

Lockheed Martin continues to work on the launcher and the weapon control system, but Ingalls Shipbuilding has been contracted to modify the destroyer Zumwalt. This futuristic-looking ship can then be equipped to receive these new capabilities in a 2025 refit.

Kari Wilkinson of Ingalls Shipbuilding told reporters last week that the Navy had not finalized its statement of work for the refit. The sea service evaluates the difficulty in installing this new weapon onto Zumwalt, Michael Monsoor, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Layne explained that the last hypersonic missile contract was for the development and testing, as also the missile deliveries to Army’s first battalions. The contract this month covers the development work and the delivery of missiles and missiles for Zumwalt destroyers, and for Army batteries later in the fielding process.

Layne stated that the Navy will need to issue a third contract in the latter part of this decade for the development and launch of a submarine-launched hypersonic weapon capability. Again, although the missile will be used in common, the Virginia-class submarine will require its own launcher and modifications to the weapon system control system. He said that the third contract would include the development of the missiles and missile delivery to the submarines.