Army plans three hypersonic flight tests before FY-23 fielding

By Ethan Sterenfeld / August 10, 2021 at 6:58 PM

The Army plans three flight tests of the Common Glide Body from the upcoming Long Range Hypersonic Weapon before the first battery is fielded in fiscal year 2023, a service official said Aug. 10.

The first flight test will be held in the first quarter of FY-22, with the second in the fourth quarter of FY-22 and the third in FY-23, Robert Strider, deputy director of the Army hypersonic project office, said at a panel during the Space and Missile Defense Symposium.

The tests will be planned and operated in cooperation with the Navy, which uses the same glide body, and the Missile Defense Agency.

Ground components for the LRHW, including launchers and a command module, will be delivered to the unit that will operate the first battery by the end of September for training, Strider said. Training will begin in mid-October.

"We're number three on this, and we've got to catch up," he said.

The Army has named the LRHW the Dark Eagle program, Strider said.

The Army announced in March that it had selected the commander for the first hypersonic battery. The missile will have a range of greater than 1,700 miles.

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