Modly: Hypersonic glide body test coming in early 2020

The Navy is planning to test its hypersonic glide body early this calendar year, according to acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly.

"Flight Experiment 2 is scheduled for Fiscal Year (FY) 20, 2nd Quarter and will demonstrate the Navy-designed Hypersonic Glide Body. Launcher testing will continue throughout FY-20," Modly said in one of his weekly memos to the service published today.

"Our FY-20 analysis will focus on refining future basing strategies and launch platform options that we will incorporate in our FY-22 budget planning process, clearly marking our path to achieving greater hypersonics tube inventories in the fleet," he continues.

Pentagon leadership began harvesting the efforts of the Conventional Prompt Strike technology demonstration program in 2018. Since then, all three military services have identified a use for the hypersonic glide body matured through CPS.

Vice Adm. Richard Brown, the Navy's chief surface warfare officer, earlier this month suggested the Zumwalt-class destroyers would be a good candidate to host the Navy's future hypersonic weapon, dubbed Intermediate Range Conventional Prompt Strike.