Hypersonic weapons have become a major priority for government and military leaders as the United States’ key competitors advance their own hypersonic capabilities and threaten America’s technological dominance.
During the Potomac Officers Club’s 8th Annual Army Summit, the Honorable Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said the service’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon is poised to make a comeback this year.
Curious about hypersonic weapons and where the U.S. stands in relation to global competitors in this area? You won’t want to miss the 2023 Hypersonics Forum hosted by ExecutiveBiz on Aug. 15. Dr. James Weber, principal director of hypersonics for OUSD R&E, is confirmed to keynote. Register here.
The LRHW is the Army’s medium-range ballistic missile, or MRBM. The weapon has a range of approximately 1,700 miles, and during parts of its flight, it can travel 3,800 miles per hour, said Bush, a 2023 Wash100 Award winner.
“The Army’s been in this business before — we used to have a lot of MRBMs. We’re coming back,” Bush told audience members at the Tysons, Virginia event. “Once we get through some — hopefully they go well — flight tests this summer, we will be actually fielding that system to a unit that could go to war this fall.”
Another Army program making important strides is the Integrated Battle Command System, which is now in full-rate production as of this year. Bush described the program as an “air defense system that tries for the first time in the air defense community to truly network any sensor and any shooter into one command and control network.”
“I think lots of people have seen movies where everything’s all connected and everything can shoot at everything — that’s not real, but it’s going to be with this system for the first time… this will dramatically change how air defense systems can operate. And the timing couldn’t be better given the scale of air defense and missile threats we face, especially in the Pacific,” Bush shared.
Despite the growing threats the U.S. is facing, Bush said he is seeing important progress and success in Army systems and equipment, and he has confidence that U.S. warfighters are sufficiently prepared for potential future conflicts.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict, for example, is highlighting key wins for the U.S. while also revealing important lessons.
“This conflict is showing that American equipment, thanks to the amazing work of thousands of people across the Army over many years, has proven highly effective in combat, which gives me confidence that our system is broadly working, that all that testing is worth it and that our industry partners are producing a quality level that’s unmatched anywhere in the world. So I think we should be proud of that,” Bush said.
However, the situation is also uncovering areas the U.S. should pay more attention to going forward both with this conflict and with future ones.
One key lesson Bush shared is that “production ramp ups take time.” In comparison to earlier conflicts and wars, Bush said, “Today, we make in many ways much more complicated systems with many more parts or many more suppliers that have, for example, longer lead times.”
But Bush notes that with strong support from Congress, the Army is “dramatically increasing production rates of key munitions across the board.”
“We will be able to meet the demand to both support Ukraine and keep the U.S. Army ready,” he stated. “And I believe in doing this well and showing we can do it, create a deterrent value for anyone else who might think about taking on the United States.”
Join the Potomac Officers Club at its next summit, the 9th Annual Intel Summit on Sep. 21! Register here to hear from key intelligence community leaders, decision makers and experts.
