The United States has successfully conducted a major hypersonic missile test, marking a significant leap in the nation’s defense posture. The launch, carried out from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, tested the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system using a novel “cold gas launch” method—a first for the program.
The milestone test, announced by the U.S. Department of Defense on April 30, represents the next phase in the Pentagon’s plan to field operational hypersonic weapons that can travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5 and strike targets with high precision.
Cold Launch: A Breakthrough for Sea-Based Deployment
The test employed a cold-gas ejection system designed specifically for use on Navy surface vessels, including the Zumwalt-class destroyers. In a cold launch, compressed gas is used to propel the missile safely into the air before its first stage ignites—preventing blast damage to the launch platform.
“This technical achievement moves us closer to fulfilling our mission of delivering safe, secure, and reliable hypersonic capability to the Navy,” said Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe Jr., Director of Strategic Systems Programs for the Navy.
The cold launch method was validated through a series of ground-based tests before being cleared for this live flight trial. The system is expected to be deployed on the USS Zumwalt in the coming years.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro praised the test as a key step in advancing the Pentagon’s integrated deterrence strategy. “The speed, range, and survivability of hypersonic weapons are critical to maintaining strategic advantage,” he said, adding that the CPS system will give the U.S. military “unmatched operational capability.”
The CPS test was part of the broader All-Up Round (AUR) flight test campaign, a joint effort by the Navy and the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO). The program aims to develop a common hypersonic missile for use across different service branches.
Two previous AUR tests were successfully conducted in 2024. The data gathered from the latest test will inform final design, production planning, and eventual fielding on both Navy ships and Army ground platforms.
The Department of Defense emphasized that the hypersonic program enhances the United States’ ability to deter and, if necessary, defeat near-peer competitors through advanced, precision strike options that do not rely on nuclear payloads.
The successful test follows other high-profile missile activities, including the November 2024 launch of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile and the recent trials of a private-sector hypersonic system developed by Castelion, designed for upper-atmosphere flight at five times the speed of sound.
