Hypersonic weapons have been used in the Ukrainian conflict since last year. These missiles travel so fast that they cannot be intercepted by existing air defense systems that only work at supersonic speeds. The United States does not yet have an active hypersonic weapon. This week Lockheed Martin was awarded a $2 billion contract to supply hypersonic missiles on ships belonging to the United States Navy (USN).
The Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile will be used on the USN's Zumwalt-class submarines. CPS can not only be used on naval ships but also on submarines and land launch systems. It shares a warhead with the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system being developed by the United States Army.
Through this contract, Lockheed Martin aims to have CPS deployed on USN naval vessels by the mid-2020s. The United States' hypersonic weapons program is still in the testing stage with several failed launches using the Boeing B-52H before being successfully carried out last year.
Hypersonic weapons can carry nuclear, conventional and kinetic warheads depending on mission requirements.
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