The US Army is one step closer to equipping the latest medium-range hypersonic missile system that can penetrate modern enemy air defenses and rapidly strike time-sensitive targets. .
According to a recent press release from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the program of new hypersonic missile systems known as Operation Firepower (OpFires), has successfully completed the First flight test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
The OpFires system achieved all of its test objectives, including the first use of a United States Marine Corps (USMC) logistics truck as a medium-range missile launcher, rocket launcher, catching stable flight and used the US Army inventory artillery fire control system to launch the test mission. Lockheed Martin built the system, including a Northrop Grumman rocket engine, and tested it.
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The test demonstrated the integrated technological maturity of key enablers including the early-stage rocket engine, missile canister and rocket round pallet (MRP). The MRP is designed for use with the payload handling systems available on USMC and Army logistics vehicles, eliminating the need for a bespoke OpFires transport aircraft assembly (TEL) launch pad.
“This is a promising step towards on-demand TEL capability to accurately fire medium-range missiles from agile, ready-made logistics trucks already in stock,” said Lt Col Joshua Stults. United States Army and United States Marines. , who manages the DARPA program for OpFires. “Our successful agile hardware development approach prioritizes full-scale flight testing, which will inform further refinement of the design this year.”
OpFires’ primary goal was to develop and demonstrate a ground-launched two-stage propulsion system capable of using supersonic payloads (greater than five times the speed of sound) from popular US military trucks. United States (Paletized Load System series). can penetrate modern air defense systems and accurately strike time-critical targets. Compatibility with existing command and control, vehicles, logistics infrastructure and operational environments ensures that OpFires is highly mobile and rapidly deployable.
“The OpFires program is a great example of how DARPA, in partnership with industry, is helping the Department of Defense facilitate the rapid development and testing of advanced hypersonic technologies to accelerate the delivery of transformative combat capability,” said Michael White, principal supersonic director at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
The OpFires program will complete a critical integrated systems design review by 2022.
