US conducts first live-fire hypersonic test with repurposed HATS launcher
The US Army successfully conducted a live-fire hypersonic test using a repurposed Heavy Artillery Test System (HATS) launcher. This method aims to provide a lower-cost alternative for testing experimental hypersonic payloads compared to full-scale missile launches.
Why it matters
It demonstrates a shift in military testing strategy to reduce costs and accelerate the development of hypersonic weapon technologies.
The US Army has reportedly conducted the first live-fire hypersonic test using the Heavy Artillery Test System (HATS), a repurposed launcher originally developed for the Strategic Long Range Cannon (SLRC) programme, which was scrapped after Congress ended dedicated funding in 2022.The test took place on July 30 at Arizona's Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), a major US Army testing facility spread across more than 830,000 acres in the southwestern part of the state.The trial reportedly involved the Army’s DEVCOM Armaments Center, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and YPG.Instead of a complete hypersonic missile, the team fired a specially developed Integrated Launch Package (ILP) from the HATS.
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