Hypercone projectile advances hypersonic research
Example of a USN railgun. (Photo: ONR/John Williams)
A hypersonic projectile reached a distance of 109nmi in recent test firings in the US, as research continues for defensive and offensive applications.
The US is continuing efforts to close its perceived gap with Russia on hypersonic missile technologies, with two recent firings of the Hypercone projectile.
‘Hypersonics are a hot topic, no pun intended. It is the speed at which battle will be fought,’ Adam Jones, head of the advanced hypersonic weapons and guided munitions division at the Naval Surface Weapons Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), said on 6 April during a briefing at the 2022 Navy League meeting in Washington DC.
The USN FY2023 budget proposal, released in March 2022, includes $1.4 billion in developing and deploying hypersonic weapons via programmes such
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