The US is pursuing numerous hypersonic weapons programs, with three military branches, as well as DARPA and the Missile Defense Agency also pursuing their own programs. As a result, the forthcoming budget will likely look in detail at viability concerns surrounding programs and make tough decisions around ongoing funding says GlobalData.

During a meeting between industry heads and Department of Defense (DoD) officials including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, key CEOs outlined specific barriers to the development of hypersonic weapons.

William Davies, Associate Analyst at GlobalData comments: “The meeting between industry heads and a Defense Secretary was a rare occurrence and serves to underscore that hypersonic development is a priority to the US military. Despite a concerted push by DoD officials to advance hypersonic weapon timelines, the ambition will not be realized unless the 2023 budget shows targeted funding for achieving deployment of ongoing programs.”

The conference also shed light on what the perception was amongst industry insiders as to what was causing delays in hypersonic weapons development. This included supply chain constraints and budget instability as well as access to wind testing facilities. These complaints will likely have an effect on the 2023 budget priorities, which may also include increasing workforce development funds to ensure the US remains competitive compared to its near-peer rivals.

Davies adds: “The US has expressed significant concern recently about the proliferation of hypersonic weapons amongst adversaries, and this meeting will likely serve to focus minds on what needs to be done to enable defense primes to bring weapons to market on schedule. The US is likely to prioritize testing infrastructure such as wind tunnels and missile test ranges in coming years, but whether this will be enough to speed up development remains to be seen.”