Lockheed Martin and the US Navy will begin testing hypersonic missiles in 2024 on the USS Zumwalt

Last week, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to supply hypersonic missiles to the US Navy and Army. The deal is worth $1.2bn and could rise to $2.2bn. The Army will deploy the land-based hypersonic weapon later this year, but the US Navy will not begin testing it until 2024.

Here's What We Know

The US Army is testing hypersonic missiles. The launcher is located on a truck. The US Navy will carry hypersonic weapons on Zumwalt-class destroyers. In particular, HII has already begun work to convert the USS Zumwalt for the installation of hypersonic missiles.

Lockheed Martin will develop a new launcher for the destroyer. It was announced by Steve Layne, vice president of Hypersonic Strike Weapon Systems at Lockheed Martin. Work on the ship's launcher has been underway for more than a year.

The launcher must provide enough compressed air to allow a hypersonic missile to take off at high altitudes without setting fire to the ship's deck. Vice Admiral Johnny Wolfe said in late fall 2022 that early tests of the system demonstrated it was possible.

The destroyer USS Zumwalt will officially become a hypersonic missile carrier in 2025. The U.S. will then equip Virginia-class submarines with hypersonic weapons. For this, Lockheed Martin will sign a third contract with the US Navy.