The U.S. Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, together with the U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Programs, has successfully conducted an end-to-end flight test of a conventional hypersonic missile at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

"This test builds on several flight tests in which the Common Hypersonic Glide Body achieved hypersonic speed at target distances and demonstrates that we can put this capability in the hands of the warfighter," stated Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth.

This marks the second successful end-to-end flight test of the All Up Round (AUR) this year and represents the first live-fire event for the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon system using a Battery Operations Center and a Transporter Erector Launcher.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro remarked, "This test marks an important milestone in the development of one of our most advanced weapons systems. As we approach the first delivery of this capability to our Army partners, we will continue to press forward to integrate Conventional Prompt Strike into our Navy surface and subsurface ships to help ensure we remain the world's preeminent fighting force."

Data from this test will aid in supporting both the first Army Operational Deployment of the common hypersonic AUR and a Navy sea-based fielding.

Vice Adm. Johnny R. Wolfe Jr., Director of Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, emphasized, "This test is a demonstration of the successful Navy and Army partnership that has allowed us to develop a transformational hypersonic weapon system that will deliver unmatched capability to meet joint warfighting needs."

The common hypersonic AUR supports national defense objectives by providing combatant commanders with diverse capabilities aimed at sustaining integrated deterrence and enhancing advantages for joint forces.

Hypersonic systems are capable of traveling at speeds exceeding five times that of sound (Mach 5), offering unique attributes such as speed, range, maneuverability, and altitude for rapid engagement against time-sensitive or heavily defended targets.

Lt. Gen. Robert A. Rasch commented on these capabilities: "The responsiveness, maneuverability and survivability of hypersonic weapons is unmatched by traditional strike capabilities for precision targeting, especially in anti-access/area denial environments."

The collaboration between U.S. Army RCCTO and U.S. Navy SSP aims to swiftly deploy land and sea variants of hypersonic weapon systems that address critical joint warfighting requirements. The shared use of a common hypersonic missile along with joint testing opportunities enables both services to pursue accelerated delivery timelines while achieving cost efficiencies.