US tests hypersonic weapon component prototypes amid tensions with China

United States Navy and Army said it “successfully” tested hypersonic weapon component prototypes on Wednesday, 20 October that will further be used to inform the development of new weapons. In a statement, US Indo-Pacific Command (PACOM) on Thursday said that the flight campaign was executed from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility and the test demonstrated “advanced hypersonic technologies, capabilities, and prototype systems in a realistic operating environment”.

Notably, the US Army has noted that “three precision sounding rocket launches” were conducted containing hypersonic experiments from partners, including several defence contractors. The US Navy and Army's statement said, “The Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) and the Army Hypersonic Program Office (AHPO) successfully conducted a High Operational Tempo for Hypersonics flight campaign on October 20, 2021.”

“This flight campaign was executed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility. This test will be used to inform the development of the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) and the Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) offensive hypersonic strike capability,” it added. 

Pentagon spokesperson said test ‘did not occur'

However, on the contrary, the US Department of Defence or Pentagon spokesperson told news agency Sputnik that the test related to the development of its hypersonic weapon was "unsuccessful" after a missile booster failed to work. The news agency quoted the spokesperson as saying, “On Oct. 21, the Department of Defense conducted a data collection experiment from the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska, Kodiak, AK [Alaska], to inform the department’s hypersonic technology development” adding that “The test did not occur as planned due to a failure of the booster stack.”

As per the report, the spokesperson also said that the booster stack which was used in the test conducted on Wednesday was not part of the hypersonic program and is also unrelated to the Navy-designed Common Hypersonic Glide Body which the Pentagon tested successfully on 20 March, 2020.  Additionally, the defence officials have reportedly initiated a review to determine the cause of the booster system failure which made the test unsuccessful, revealed the spokesperson to Sputnik. 

It is also pertinent to note that the United States carried out the tests to advance its hypersonic weapon programs just as it flagged ‘concerns’ over reports of China’s development of hypersonic technology. As per The Guardian report, the US disarmament ambassador, Robert Wood told the reporters in Geneva, “We are very concerned by what China has been doing on the hypersonic front,” after reports stated that Beijing had launched a hypersonic missile with nuclear capacity. The latest tensions come in the backdrop of Beijing and Washington attempting to normalise their ties in recent weeks with a series of meetings.

(IMAGE: AP)