US Navy Successfully Tests Sea-Based Hypersonic Missile Launch

The U.S. Navy announced on Friday it had achieved a significant milestone in its hypersonic weapons program with the first
At Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 2, the Navy conducted the first end-to-end flight test of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) missile using a cold-gas ejection method, Navy officials said in a statement. They described the approach as being able to safely eject the missile from the launch platform before igniting its first stage—a critical feature for shipboard launches, the Navy added.
Vice Adm. Johnny R. Wolfe Jr., Director of the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, said the system is progressing toward deployment.
'The cold-gas approach allows the Navy to eject the missile from the platform and achieve a safe distance above the ship prior to first stage ignition,' Wolfe said in the statement. 'This technical achievement brings SSP one step closer to fulfilling our role of providing a safe and reliable hypersonic capability to our Navy.'
The CPS missile is a joint development between the Navy and the Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office and features the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB)—a
The missile is designed to travel at speeds above Mach 5 and maneuver mid-flight, making it difficult to detect and intercept. Mach 5 speeds are 5 times the speed of sound, or
Related Stories
1/6/2025
11/23/2024
Unlike the subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile—long considered the Navy's
The USS Zumwalt, a stealth destroyer, is set to become the first naval vessel to deploy the CPS system. The ship is undergoing modifications to install four 87-inch vertical launch tubes, each capable of holding three hypersonic missiles, allowing it to carry up to 12 total. These tubes are replacing the ship's original 155mm Advanced Gun Systems, which were retired due to the prohibitive cost of ammunition.
While the U.S. marks a milestone with this launch, it is not the first nation to demonstrate sea-based hypersonic capability. Russia has already conducted multiple successful
The Navy emphasized that the successful test reflects the Pentagon's broader effort to accelerate hypersonic weapons development. While the Zumwalt's
U.S. officials say new strike capabilities like the CPS missile are essential to preserving the American military advantage and deterring future threats.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

American Military News

13-06-2025

• American Military News

Video: World War I submarine found off San Diego coast

The USS F-1, a World War I-era U.S. Navy submarine, was recently discovered by researchers off the cost of San Diego, California. The discovery comes 108 years after the submarine was 'lost at sea' in a training accident in December of 1917. In a recent press release, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) announced, 'A deep-sea training and engineering dive off the coast of San Diego provided an opportunity for never-before-seen imagery of the U.S. Navy submarine USS F-1, lost at sea in an accident on December 17, 1917, that resulted in the death of 19 crew members.' According to the press release, WHOI researchers captured images of the World War I-era Navy submarine by using 'Sentry,' an autonomous underwater vehicle, and 'Alvin,' a human-occupied vehicle, to access the remains of the submarine located under more than 1,300 feet of water. 'Advanced ocean technology and simple teamwork played a big part in delivering these new images,' Bruce Strickrott, manager of the Alvin Group at WHOI and the senior pilot who helped lead the recent expedition, said. 'Once we identified the wreck and determined it was safe to dive, we were able to capture never-before-seen perspectives of the sub. As a U.S. Navy veteran, it was a profound honor to visit the wreck of the F-1 with our ONR and NHHC colleagues aboard Alvin.' READ MORE: Pics: Surprising WWII shipwreck finds revealed WHOI explained that the recent expedition was part of a training and engineering mission intended to give pilots of the underwater submersibles an opportunity to increase their piloting skills and develop technology for underwater research. 'It was an incredibly exciting and humbling experience to visit these historically significant wrecks and to honor the sacrifice of these brave American Sailors,' Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) Underwater Archaeologist Brad Krueger said. 'All of us at the NHHC are grateful for this collaboration, which also enabled us to document and assess the condition of the crafts.' According to the press release, the crew on the Atlantis, which was stationed above the location of the remains of the USS F-1, held a remembrance ceremony in honor of the 19 Navy members who were killed in the training incident in 1917. 'History and archaeology are all about people and we felt it was important to read their names aloud,' Krueger stated. 'The Navy has a solemn responsibility to ensure the legacies of its lost Sailors are remembered.' A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, by WHOI shows the new footage of the USS F-1 submarine as well as part of the ceremony held in honor of the 19 Navy members.

Yahoo

13-06-2025

• Yahoo

Navy seeks to test wells in Cumberland County for ‘forever chemicals'

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — The Navy depot in Hampden Township has long used firefighting foam, which contains so called forever chemicals. Now, they will host an open house Monday, June 16, where guests can learn how to test private wells for the chemical. In 2019, the Navy asked homeowners within a mile of its base to test their wells out of concern the foam may have spread beyond its property. Officially known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS chemicals break down very slowly over time. They often appear in the blood of people and animals because of its wide use, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Studies show the presence of the chemical is linked to harmful effects in humans and animals, the agency said. What are 'forever chemicals' and should we be concerned about them? Those who attend the open house will have the opportunity to check if they are within the Navy's sampling area, speak with experts and learn more about ongoing efforts to investigate the chemical. The event runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the West Shore Elks #2257 located at 108 N. Saint Johns Church Road in Camp Hill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Yahoo

11-06-2025

• Yahoo

New Details On F/A-18 Super Hornet's Troubled IRST Pod

More details have emerged about the problems the U.S. Navy is facing with its ill-starred podded Infrared Search And Track system, or IRST, an important capability planned for its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters. The latest issues to be highlighted come after TWZ previously reported on delays caused by production quality problems with the system and a Pentagon assessment of 'significant reliability problems during operational testing,' which emerged earlier this year. The latest status update on the ASG-34A(V)1 IRST pod is provided in the Weapon Systems Annual Assessment that was published today by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The centerline-mounted IRST pod is intended to provide the F/A-18E/F with a long-wave infrared sensor — the Lockheed Martin-developed IRST21 — that can search, detect, and track airborne targets. Very importantly, it is an ideal tool for detecting stealthy targets, which are proliferating. The IRST sensor assembly is installed in the front portion of a redesigned FPU-13/A centerline fuel tank. According to the GAO, each pod costs $16.6 million. For the full background on the pod, you can read our interview with the Super Hornet program manager responsible for it, back in 2020, here. The GAO report notes that, although the IRST pod achieved initial capability on schedule in November 2024, including delivery of the first lot of low-rate initial production pods, a full-rate production decision has been delayed. At one point, a determination on full-rate production was planned for January 2025, but this was missed 'due to delays incurred during flight testing.' As a result, the program has now breached its baseline schedule for the second time in three years. 'IRST officials told us that operational tests were delayed by two months due to software defects that caused IRST pods to falsely report overheating,' the GAO notes. Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) officials told the GAO that the problem 'was relatively easy to fix and would likely have been addressed during developmental testing had the program allocated more time for that testing.' Thanks to those operational testing delays, the publication of the DOT&E report that informs the full-rate decision production slipped until March 2025. A corresponding decision is now expected sometime this month. Until then, the program is somewhat in limbo, although it has achieved some good results, notably demonstrating 'capability at tactically significant ranges during operational testing.' This has been tempered, however, by how often the pods failed during that same testing. DOT&E officials told the GAO that the pods were 'extremely unreliable.' While we previously knew of issues with reliability, today's report confirms just how bad these are. Although 'the program improved pod reliability as it made software updates, [it] only managed to achieve 14 hours mean time between operational mission failures — short of the 40 hours required.' Not surprisingly, the DOT&E determined that deploying the IRST pods without improving their reliability would transfer risk to the Navy's fleet. Of course, this is bad news for the Navy, and for the F/A-18E/F community specifically, with IRST sensors — which can detect and track objects from a distance and in environments where radar may be ineffective — is increasingly seen as a vital air combat tool. Seemingly ever since it was first flown on a Super Hornet in late 2019, the IRST pod has faced issues. A previous GAO report, in 2023, noted that 'between 20 and 30 percent of the manufactured components [in the IRST pod] failed to meet performance specifications due to microelectronics issues.' These problems persisted more than four years after limited manufacturing had begun and served to delay the launch of developmental and operational testing. The same 2023 report also described how 'staffing challenges' at a critical software development contractor were leading to holdups in the program. Then came a DOT&E report, which looked at the results of tests involving Infrared Optimized Configuration (IROC) pods, described as 'operationally equivalent' but designated for flight test. IROC pods were used for operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) between April and September 2024. This report noted that 'operational test events were adversely affected by IRST Block II system reliability failures' and concluded that the pod 'demonstrated significant reliability problems.' 'Throughout the test period, IRST Block II suffered from hardware and software deficiencies, which required the aircrew to restart the pod multiple times,' the DOT&E report said. 'Troubleshooting and repair often exceeded the abilities of Navy maintenance crews and required assistance from Lockheed Martin.' In the meantime, however, earlier iterations of the pod have already been deployed on operations, carried by Super Hornets in the Middle East, with photos emerging of this appearing in late 2020. As the Navy awaits the decision on whether or not to pursue full-rate production, there's no doubt about the utility of an IRST pod — provided that it works. The specific advantages of the IRST pod are something we have discussed before, including with the Super Hornet program manager: 'Very importantly, the IRST pod provides an entirely passive capability, relying exclusively on the infrared spectrum to detect and track airborne targets, including those at far beyond visual range. With no radio-frequency emissions, the target won't be alerted to the fact that they've been detected and are being tracked. At the same time, the IRST does not give away the location and presence of the host platform. This kind of sensor also provides a vital companion to the Super Hornet's AN/APG-79 radar, functions of which may well be compromised in a heavy electronic attack or radar-denied environment.' Meanwhile, similar kinds of sensors have been found on fighters operated by potential adversaries for decades. China and Russia operate tactical fighters such as the Su-35 and Su-30 Flanker series that incorporate IRST sensors as standard. In Western Europe, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen E, for example, also offer them. Closer to home, the U.S. Air Force has already put equivalent sensors on its F-15Cs and F-16Cs, making the delays to the Navy's program all the more puzzling. On the other hand, we don't know exactly how reliable the Air Force's IRST pods are, and we do know that there are substantial differences between the Air Force and Navy versions, although they both use IRST21 as a base the fact that a functioning IRST capability can be integrated on even older platforms without too much difficulty is also evidenced in the contractor-operated adversary community, which is increasingly flying fast jets with IRST sensors to better replicate potential threat aircraft. On the other hand, it should be recalled that not all IRST sensors offer the same level of capabilities, with significant differences also in terms of depth of integration and fusion between different types and aircraft, especially over time. This applies especially to the higher-end IRST pod for the Super Hornet and some of the cheaper off-the-shelf options that are now available. Threat aircraft with IRST capabilities continue to proliferate, but so do the kinds of threat platforms for which a sensor of this kind would be most useful to counter. China, especially, is making rapid developments in stealth technology and advanced electronic warfare, two areas that make the introduction of an IRST sensor all the more compelling. These kinds of infrared sensors are immune to radar-evading stealth technology and are not affected by electromagnetic jamming and other electronic attacks. For Navy Super Hornets, a fully functional ISRT pod would help to detect and target advanced Chinese platforms in a future conflict in the Pacific theater. At the same time, these pods can significantly boost the flight crew's situational air-to-air 'picture' in conjunction with more traditional sensors. As noted previously, there has been some good news with the latest iteration of the IRST pod, specifically the fact that it has, in a test environment, demonstrated that it can detect targets at long ranges. Furthermore, it can translate this data into stable system tracks that would be suitable for weapons employment. With its clear potential, it's certainly alarming for the Navy that it is still being kept waiting for the vital capabilities promised by the IRST pod. Contact the author: thomas@