The US Navy has requested $3.6 billion to fund the production and delivery of 64 Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) all-up rounds over five years.
Budget documents reveal that the service wants to earmark $341 million for the first eight rounds in 2024.
Additional scheduled deliveries include 10 rounds for $440 million in 2025, 11 rounds for $663 million in 2026, and 16 rounds for $988 million in 2027.
By 2028, the navy expects to have 64 hypersonic CPS rounds with the expected arrival of 19 more for $1.1 billion.
A CPS all-up round contains a kinetic-energy projectile warhead, missile body, container, and other components necessary for launch.
Conventional Prompt Strike Program
The CPS is an upcoming US Department of Defense, US Navy, and US Army hypersonic weapon program to develop a boost-glide hypersonic weapon system that can be launched from surface warships and submarines and carry out precision strikes at five times the speed of sound.
Although the missiles are similar to those in service with China and Russia, the US has committed to only field non-nuclear hypersonic weapons.
The US Navy intends to integrate the CPS into Zumwalt-class surface vessels and Virginia-class submarines to attack high-value and time-sensitive targets.
The army will deploy the weapon on mobile land-based launchers as part of the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon program.
“Early design work is already underway. Our team looks forward to supporting the warfighter by providing more options to further protect America at sea,” developer Lockheed Martin stated earlier this year.
