U.S Navy To Test Hypersonic Boost-Glide Missiles For Surface Ships & Submarines

The U.S Navy is moving towards a different direction in terms of its hypersonic weapons strategy.

Earlier, it manufactured and deployed exclusive, elite and costly weapons on a few warships, but now it plans on building technologically-advanced yet affordable projectiles for the entire fleet of surface ships and submarines.

This shift can be seen in the Navy’s new Flight Advancement of Structures for Hypersonics (FLASH) program, which seeks to provide weapons that can be launched from existing infrastructure.

They would be designed for the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) and the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), allowing deployment on destroyers and submarines without costly refits.

The program will also decrease dependence on rare and costly materials, ultimately reducing the per-unit price.

Till now, the Navy’s major focus has been the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon, which needs launch tubes with a larger diameter, limiting its usage to modified Zumwalt-class destroyers.

FLASH will remove this bottleneck by fitting the boost-glide weapons into the existing cells found across the ships of the US Navy.

Functioning under the Innovative Naval Prototype (INP) framework, FLASH signals a shift in American naval philosophy.

It is no longer just about building the “best” missile, but about maximising the utility of every vertical launch cell.

By prioritising integration and affordability, the Navy aims to reshape naval warfare through a widely distributed, hypersonic-capable fleet.