The US Army has deployed its first long-range hypersonic weapon system in Cape Canaveral, Florida, as part of a full expeditionary launch rehearsal.
The weapon was deployed more than 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) from its post at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, to “generate immediate feedback” from future operators.
Preparing ‘Critical Capability’
During the trial, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment soldiers completed a series of practice drills with the precision weapon.
“Our Soldiers processed real missions, with real data, in real time, to produce real effects to learn lessons and generate readiness,” Commander Brig. Gen. Bernard Harrington stated.
“We’re training the way we will fight, and our Soldiers are ready to deploy and employ this critical capability forward.”
Enhanced Deterrence in the Pacific
Teams from the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, US Army Pacific, US Indo-Pacific Command, US Strategic Command, and Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) also executed command and control functions associated with the weapon.
“This unit is fully trained and has proven that they can be deployed away from home station and go right into whatever mission they’re given,” RCCTO Hypersonic Weapon Integration Manager Col. Ian Humphrey said.
“The second half of the Army’s year of long-range precision fires will continue to represent groundbreaking strides toward integrated deterrence in the Pacific,” he added.