Despite spending billions of dollars and nearly a decade's worth of work, the Pentagon has yet to field a single hypersonic weapons system, according to a watchdog report released Monday.
The Defense Department has long had a goal of developing a hypersonic missile system capable of firing missiles at speeds of up to 7,000 miles per hour with pinpoint maneuverability. review A report released Monday by the Defense Department's Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that eight years into the program, none of the hypersonic missile systems currently in development are ready for deployment, despite mounting costs and delays. (Related: Pentagon struggles to determine which soldiers' families are eligible for Gold Star status)
“After years and billions of dollars spent on hypersonic weapons development, considerable progress has been made, but the Department of Defense has yet to field the first operational hypersonic weapons system,” the GAO report states. “However, even fielding these first prototypes does not ensure an effective and affordable capability.”
According to current cost estimates cited in the GAO report, the Army's long-range hypersonic systems are expected to cost roughly $10.3 billion over their lifecycles. The Air Force is expected to spend more than $3 billion on its various hypersonic prototyping and development programs under current lifecycle estimates.
The Navy is expected to spend about $31 billion on its various hypersonic programs over their current life cycle estimates, making it the largest spender, according to the GAO report.
Biden's Pentagon to give troops $20 a month in 'economic hardship' payhttps://t.co/efGwEaS0CJ
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 22, 2024
According to the GAO report, one of the reasons the Defense Department's hypersonic weapons program has lagged is that it has not used the best available “digital engineering tools” for testing and development. The development effort also “has not sought user feedback to determine what capabilities to include in a minimum viable product — a key practice in product development.”
In addition, the Department of Defense “urges Congress to: [Pentagon]”Deploying hypersonic systems carries a wide range of risks,” the GAO report said.
The GAO report said taking these measures “has the potential to speed up the design process, reduce costs, and develop products that are easier to use.”
The U.S. is struggling to catch up with its rivals in the development of hypersonic vehicles. China has spent decades advancing the technology through intensive investment and routine testing, and now maintains “the world's leading hypersonic arsenal,” Jeffrey McCormick, a senior intelligence analyst at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, told a congressional committee in March. according to To Bloomberg.
According to Bloomberg, Russia is using hypersonic weapons in Ukraine, but has yet to keep up with China's technology and supporting infrastructure.
“While both China and Russia have conducted numerous successful hypersonic weapons tests and likely fielded operational systems, China leads Russia in both supporting infrastructure and number of systems,” said Paul Freisler, chief scientist for science and technology at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Said Lawmakers made the remarks at a congressional hearing in March 2023.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As an independent, nonpartisan news service, all content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation is available free of charge to any legitimate news publisher with a large readership. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and affiliation with the DCNF. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
