{"id":20512,"date":"2021-08-13T21:00:44","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T21:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/13\/missile-defense-agency-dials-up-the-speed-in-quest-for-hypersonic-interceptor\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:49:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:49:53","slug":"missile-defense-agency-dials-up-the-speed-in-quest-for-hypersonic-interceptor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/smd\/2021\/08\/13\/missile-defense-agency-dials-up-the-speed-in-quest-for-hypersonic-interceptor\/","title":{"rendered":"Missile Defense Agency dials up the speed in quest for hypersonic interceptor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. \u2014 While the Missile Defense Agency hit the pause button on its effort to bring a defensive hypersonic weapon online, <\/a>it\u2019s now ready to move forward and is engaging industry<\/a> in the first phase of the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got some great feedback coming from industry, it is something that can be done, and we shouldn\u2019t be afraid to go do it,\u201d Vice Adm. Jon Hill, MDA director, told Defense News<\/a> Aug. 12 at the SMD Symposium here, \u201cand so we\u2019re taking that on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a year ago, MDA had a different answer on where it was going with hypersonic defense,<\/a> focusing on solutions under development in the science and technology phase, Hill said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But after taking a step back and assessing the U.S. ballistic missile defense capability, the agency realized it already had some means to tackle hypersonic weapons<\/a> using such sea-based assets as a Navy Carrier Strike Group with the ability to engage high-speed maneuvering threats during the terminal phase of flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sea-Based X-Band Terminal<\/a> is another example of a current capability that can track hypersonic threats in the terminal phase, he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Aegis ship<\/a>, which boasts launch-on-remote weaponry, is capable of seeing hypersonic weapons in the battlespace because, \u201cremember, they\u2019re not very high,\u201d Hill said. \u201cThey are around 70 kilometers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Future efforts already scheduled to come online are systems like the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS),<\/a> a satellite that will be placed in low-earth orbit to spot hypersonic missiles in flight, and the SPY-6 radar<\/a> will further increase the ability to track hypersonic threats, Hill added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency decided it would make the most sense to focus on taking out hypersonic weapons in the glide phase of flight where they are most vulnerable, Hill said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MDA then assessed current and possible capability and concepts to be able to detect, track and intercept a hypersonic weapon in that glide phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency studied data from adversaries\u2019 systems. \u201cOur adversaries are constantly flying these things and we are collecting that data with the existing sensor architecture,\u201d Hill said. \u201cWe were pulling that data down and we could run it through our high fidelity systems models.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t