Army secretary nominee tells Congress that hypersonic weapons are one of Pentagon's number-one priorities

Hypersonic weapons have the speed of a ballistic missile, the maneuvering capabilities of a cruise missile, and can travel faster than Mach 5.

Sep 23rd, 2019
Hypersonic Weapons 19 Sept 2019 5d83a0f993188

WASHINGTON – Hypersonic weapons, which fly five-times faster than the speed of sound, are at the top of the Army's weapons procurement agenda, Ryan McCarthy said during his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday to be the next Army secretary, reports to Gillian Rich for Investor's Business Daily. Continue reading original article

The Intelligent Aerospace take:

September 23, 2019-After years of putting boots on the ground in the Middle East, while adding wear and tear on helicopters, tanks, and other ground vehicles, the Army's focus on superfast missiles reflects the Pentagon shift to near-peer rivals like Russia and China.

"This could fundamentally change the posture for us in various combatant commands," says McCarthy, who was previously undersecretary of the Army. "It's a number-one investment priority for us. It's something that really started with Secretary Mattis. And we've just had our foot on the gas."

Related: Raytheon, DARPA complete key design review for new hypersonic weapon

Related: U.S. Army selects Lockheed Martin for hypersonic program

Related: Raytheon, Northrop to develop air-breathing, hypersonic weapons

Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace

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