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Updated December 4, 2023
The U.S. Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW)
What Is the Army’s Long-Range
Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB)
Hypersonic Weapon?
The C-HGB is reportedly based on the Alternate Re-Entry
The Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW)
System developed by the Army and Sandia National
(Figure 1), with a reported range of 1,725 miles, consists of
Laboratories. Dynetics, a subsidiary of Leidos, is currently
a ground-launched missile equipped with a hypersonic glide
under contract to produce C-HGB prototypes for the Army
body and associated transport, support, and fire control
and Navy. The C-HGB “uses a booster rocket motor to
equipment. According to the Army
accelerate to well-above hypersonic speeds, and then
jettisons the expended rocket booster.” The C-HGB is
This land-based, truck-launched system is armed
planned to be maneuverable, making it more difficult to
with hypersonic missiles that can travel well over
detect and intercept and “can travel at Mach 5 or higher ...
3,800 miles per hour. They can reach the top of the
at least five times faster than the speed of sound or up to
Earth’s atmosphere and remain just beyond the
13,000 miles per hour.”
range of air and missile defense systems until they
are ready to strike, and by then it’s too late to react.
LRHW Organization and Units
The LRHW is organized into batteries. According to the
Figure 1. Artist Rendition of a Notional LRHW Unit
Army “a LRHW battery consists of four Transporter
Erector Launchers on modified M870A4 trailers, each
equipped with two AUR+Cs (eight in total), one Battery
Operations Center (BOC) for command and control, and a
BOC support vehicle.”
The 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment at Joint Base
Lewis-McChord, Washington, was designated to operate
the first battery of eight LRHW missiles. The battalion, also
referred to as a Strategic Long-Range Fires battalion, is part
of the Army’s 1st Multi Domain Task Force (MDTF), a unit
in the Indo Pacific-oriented I Corps stationed at Joint Base
Lewis-McChord. Other LRHW batteries are planned for
Strategic Long-Range Fires battalions in the remaining
Source: https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/
MDTFs scheduled for activation.
a36421213/army-hypersonic-weapon-1700-mile-range/, accessed
November 18, 2021.
LRHW Testing and Program Activities
According to a 2023 Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
The Army further notes
Study, “U.S. Hypersonic Weapons and Alternatives,”
The LRHW system provides the Army a strategic
“Extensive flight testing is necessary to shield hypersonic
attack weapon system to defeat Anti-Access/Area
missiles’ sensitive electronics, to understand how various
Denial (A2/AD) capabilities, suppress adversary
materials perform, and predict aerodynamics at sustained
long-range fires, and engage other high payoff/time
temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit.” The Army
critical targets. The Army is working closely with
originally planned for three flight tests of the LRHW before
the Navy in the development of the LRHW. LRHW
the first battery fielding in FY2023. On October 21, 2021,
the booster rocket carrying the C-HGB vehicle reportedly
is comprised of the Common Hypersonic Glide
failed a test flight, resulting in what defense officials
Body (C-HGB), and the Navy 34.5-inch booster.
characterized as a “no test” as the C-HGB had no chance to
LRHW Components
deploy. Reportedly, a June 2022 test of the entire LRHW
missile also resulted in failure.
Missile
Flight Test Delays
The missile component of the LRHW is reportedly being
In October 2022, it was reported the Department of Defense
developed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
(DOD) delayed a scheduled LRHW test in order to “assess
When the hypersonic glide body is attached, it is referred to
the root cause of the June [2022] failure.” Reportedly, the
as the Navy-Army All Up Round plus Canister (AUR+C).
delayed test would be rescheduled to the first quarter of
The missile component serves as the common two-stage
booster for the Army’s LRHW and the Navy’s
FY2023.
Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) system, which can be
fired from both surface vessels and submarines.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
The U.S. Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW)
March 2023 LRHW Test Scrubbed
Procurement—DOD FY2024 Budget Estimates, Army Justification
On March 10, 2023, it was reported
Book of Missile Procurement, March 2023, p. 80.
On March 5, DOD was preparing to execute Joint
Notes: RDT&E = Research, Development, Test & Evaluation; $M =
Flight Campaign-2 featuring the Army version of
U.S. dollars in mil ions.
the prototype weapon launched at Cape Canaveral
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees, in their
Space Force Station, FL, when the countdown was
reports on the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act
halted ... As a result of pre-flight checks during that
(NDAA) (H.R. 2670/S. 2226), recommended approving the
event, the test did not occur.
Army’s LRHW RDT&E and Procurement funding requests.
The House Appropriations Committee, in its report on the
Cancelled September 2023 LRHW Test and
FY2024 DOD Appropriations Act (H.R. 4365),
Program Delay
recommended decreasing the Army’s LRHW RDT&E
On September 6, 2023, it was reported
funding request by $25.9, citing AUR+C and programmatic
The DOD planned to conduct a flight test at the
reasons, and added $30 million for the C-HGB, resulting in
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, to
an overall $4.1 million increase in funding. The committee
recommended reducing LRHW Procurement funding by
inform hypersonic technology development. As a
$23.713 million, citing “early to need.” The Senate
result of pre-flight checks, the test did not occur.
Appropriations Committee, in its report on the FY2024
On September 14, 2023, in an Army statement to
DOD Appropriations Act (S. 2587), recommended a $5
Bloomberg News, the Army reportedly acknowledged it
million increase to the Army’s LRHW RDT&E funding
would not be able to meet its goal of deploying the LRHW
request. The committee recommended approving the
by the end of FY2023.
Army’s LRHW Procurement funding request.
Change in LRHW Testing Pathway
Considerations for Congress
In late November 2023, Navy and Army acquisition
Possible oversight considerations for Congress could
executives reportedly decided to “revamp efforts to prepare
include
for [LRHW] flight test following three flight test attempts
this year that were scrubbed because of problems with the
LRHW Testing, Costs, and Fielding Plans
Lockheed Martin-produced launcher.” The Army’s new
The Army’s November 2023 decision to revise its LRHW
testing approach will feature subcomponent testing. The
testing methodology seemingly suggests past testing
Army Assistant Secretary for Acquisitions, Logistics, and
difficulties might have been more significant than
Technology reportedly stated,
previously believed. It was also noted that even if this dual-
On the launcher side, we’re going to go back and do
path subcomponent testing regime proves successful, it
could be a number of months before the LRHW becomes
a little more step-by-step risk reduction to make
operational. Based on this new approach, potential
sure we’ve got this. The missile itself -- we might
considerations for Congress could include how many
also concurrently do some missile tests that don’t
successful LRHW flight tests will be required before the
involve the launcher just to gain confidence in the
Army declares the LRHW operational, and how does a
missile. So, we can do two things at once here. We
potential six-month or greater program delay affect the
can work on the Army’s launcher and perhaps do an
Army’s LRHW program costs and fielding plans?
end-to-end test with the missile with everything but
the launcher, to gain confidence in the C-HGB.
LRHW Missile Costs
Because that’s the most important thing that has to
According to a January 2023 Congressional Budget Office
work.
study, “U.S. Hypersonic Weapons and Alternatives,”
purchasing 300 Intermediate-Range Hypersonic Boost-
It was also noted this new testing effort was “definitely
going to be months, not weeks,”
Glide Missiles (similar to the LRHW) was estimated to cost
and could possibly run into
$41 million per missile (in 2023 dollars). A January 2023
next summer.
Center for Strategic and International Studies report, “The
FY2024 LRHW Budgetary Information
First Battle of the Next War: Wargaming a Chinese
Invasion of Taiwan,” noted when discussing hypersonic
Table 1. FY2024 LRHW Budget Request
weapons, contends “their high costs limits inventories, so
Total Request
they lack the volume needed to counter the immense
Funding Category
($M)
numbers of Chinese air and naval platforms.”
RDT&E
$944.355
Given concerns about how LRHW missile costs could
Procurement
$156.821
influence LRHW inventories, policymakers might decide to
Sources:
further examine LRHW missile costs as well as quantities
of LRHW missiles needed to support potential combat
RDT&E—DOD FY2024 Budget Estimates, Army Justification Book
operations in various theaters of operations.
2b of 2, RDT&E, Volume II, Budget Activity 4B, March 2023, p. 257
and DOD FY2024 Budget Estimates, Army Justification Book 3d of 3,
Andrew Feickert, Specialist in Military Ground Forces
RDT&E, Volume II, Budget Activity 5D, March 2023, p. 179.
IF11991
https://crsreports.congress.gov
The U.S. Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW)
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