Reference News Network, October 18 report: On October 15, the U.S. "Military Times" website published an article titled "The U.S. Army's First Hypersonic Missile Battery Will Be Fully Equipped by December at the Latest," by journalist Jane Jardine. The following is a compilation of the content:

U.S. Army missile and space program executive officer, Major General Frank Losano, recently told "Defense News" that the first U.S. Army unit to receive hypersonic weapons will have enough munitions to meet the combat needs of a missile battery by the end of this year.

In 2021, the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 5th Battalion, 1st Multi-Domain Task Force of the 17th Field Artillery Brigade stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord received all the equipment required for the remotely operated hypersonic weapon capability, which it called "Dark Eagle" — except for live ammunition.

The first three missiles were distributed to the unit earlier this year. Losano said that the fourth missile is currently undergoing acceptance inspection. Losano said that the remaining eight missiles are expected to be delivered by the end of December.

Before these munitions are deployed, there were long delays during testing. Due to challenges at the test range and malfunctions in the missile launch initiation process, several tests of this munition had to be canceled in 2023.

Full-load ammunition testing is considered crucial to ensuring the system is safe, effective, and ready for deployment.

In May 2024, the Army conducted a successful end-to-end flight test of its hypersonic missile at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii, bringing the first unit equipped with the weapon one step closer to initial deployment.

Although the Army's deployment of this weapon has taken nearly two years longer than planned, Army officials noted that missile development projects usually take about 10 years. Compared to this, the long-range hypersonic weapon project has only been over five years.

The Army also prepared launchers, trucks, trailers, and command centers, which are essential for forming the first missile battery.

Lockheed Martin is the systems integrator for the Army's hypersonic capabilities. This weapon will be launched from a mobile truck.

To prepare for receiving full-load ammunition, the U.S. Army delivered the first hypersonic weapons (without missiles) to this multi-domain task force at Joint Base Lewis-McChord two days before the end of the fiscal year 2021. Since delivery, the unit has been using the system for training.

Once the first missile battery is fully equipped, the next phase of production will speed up.

Losano said, "This is a very complex missile system. Although we have completed system testing and are confident it will work, we are still working on how to transition the complex prototype system into production, and in production, you need a highly repeatable process to eliminate quality defects."

Losano admitted that speed certainly brings additional challenges. "Essentially, it's moving too fast — if this was a typical 10- or 15-year missile project, you would eliminate all these risks in the project and deliver on time."

But he said, "The good news is that we are making progress. What we need to do is keep pressing the accelerator and continue to push forward, achieving more progress." (Translated by Qing Songzhu)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7562432547003695650/

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