US Navy to Build Advanced Underwater Hypersonic Missile Test Facility
The US plans to build an underwater hypersonic weapons testing facility, paving the way for its submarine-launched hypersonic weapons.
Through this move, the US aims to get the upper hand over its potential adversaries, including China and Russia.
The underwater facility is a key step toward deploying hypersonic capabilities from submarines, a move that would enhance the stealth and survivability of these systems.
Vice Adm.Johnny Wolfe, US Navy’s director of Strategic Systems Programs, made the announcement at a hearing of the US Senate Committee on Armed Services.
He said that US is establishing a Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed and an Underwater Test Facility at Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana.
Wolfe also announced a collaborative effort between the Navy and Army to develop and field a common hypersonic weapon system.
Wolfe emphasised the critical attributes of hypersonic systems, which can travel over five times the speed of sound and rapidly target high-value assets.
The weapons are central to the US Department of Defense’s (DOD) strategic vision as outlined in the 2022 National Defense Strategy.
The US previously announced its intent to deploy hypersonic weapons aboard submarines, but budget cuts and a lack of appropriate testing facilities curtailed the effort.
A February 2024 US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report asks critical questions about hypersonic weapons’ operational and strategic implications.
The CRS report says that while US hypersonic weapons research is heavily funded, it lacks clear acquisition plans or approved mission requirements.
It also says there are divergent views on the scale and affordability of producing the weapons in battlefield numbers.
The CRS report says that more detailed assessments, including cost and strategic analyses, are needed to understand the role of hypersonic weapons in US strategy.