In early April 2023, we wrote about the US Army's hypersonic weapons.It's called the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRWH)
What is known
The US Army deployed two LRHW launchers with a total salvo of four hypersonic missiles. This happened in strict secrecy at the end of February 2023.
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The hypersonic weapon was transferred from Washington to Cape Canaveral in Florida. The LRHW became part of the 1st Multidomain Task Force, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, US Army.
LRHW is a medium-range hypersonic weapon. Earlier we wrote that missiles can destroy targets at a distance of 2775 km. Now information about the launch range has been confirmed.
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In flight, the rocket can reach a speed of 6050km / h (M = 4.9). The mass of the warhead is not specified, but we know that the LRHW cannot carry a nuclear warhead. This was done intentionally so that the US Army could instantly respond to threats without restrictions and the risk of escalation.
A hypersonic missile consists of an accelerator andglider Common-Hysonic Glide Body (C-HGB), which is separated from the main unit and attacks the target. The flight speed of the C-HGB begins to decrease in the final phase of the flight.
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One LRHW battery consists of four launchers, i.e. the total salvo is eight missiles. The Oshkosh HEMTT A4 M983A4 is used as the chassis, as in the Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems.
A machine is provided to manage the LRHW batteryfire control Battery Operations Center (BOC). Together with it, a support car is used. The launchers can be transported by rail and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.
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The US Army continues to develop and test the LRHW. For the development of hypersonic weapons, the service requested $944 million from the US Congress for fiscal year 2024, and for the purchase - $157 million.