Hypersonics expert urges increased U.S. investment

The United States needs to increase funding and support for advanced hypersonic weapons development to counter similar programs in China and Russia, according to former Defense Department official and hypersonic weapons expert Mark Lewis.

He said he expects the Trump administration to prioritize this critical area of defense technology.

“I’m very bullish on hypersonics… I think we’re going to see very steady, consistent funding,” Lewis said March 24 during a live webinar hosted by SpaceNews.

Lewis currently serves as president and CEO of the nonprofit Purdue Applied Research Institute, 

Hypersonic weapons—missiles or vehicles capable of traveling at speeds of Mach 5 or above, at least five times the speed of sound—are increasingly viewed as essential components of modern military strategy due to their ability to evade traditional defense systems.

The Pentagon anticipates that China and Russia may target U.S. and allied forces with hypersonic glide vehicles, which are rocket-launched weapons that glide to their targets and use atmospheric forces to maneuver. Their combination of high speed and maneuverability makes them particularly difficult to intercept using conventional defense systems.

As these nations advance their hypersonic missile programs, the Pentagon faces increasing pressure to accelerate its own development efforts, Lewis said. To defend the U.S. homeland from these threats, the administration also intends to develop a layered defense system of sensors and interceptor missiles known as Golden Dome.

Lewis noted that there is strong support within the Pentagon for investments in hypersonic weapons technology, partly because of opportunities to leverage private investments in commercial test vehicles that could accelerate next-generation missile development.

A key advocate for these programs is Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, co-founder and former chief executive of Cerberus Capital Management. The private equity firm has acquired companies in the hypersonic flight testing business, including Stratolaunch, which operates a reusable hypersonic test vehicle, and North Wind, a wind tunnel company.

“We have key people that are coming into roles in government that understand the importance of hypersonics,” Lewis said.

Support for hypersonic research extends to Capitol Hill, where Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) is an important advocate. Indiana is home to both Purdue University and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, institutions heavily involved in hypersonics research and development.

“We have peer competitors who have made it clear that they’re developing and deploying hypersonic weapons, and we know we’re playing a game of catch up,” Lewis warned.

Defensive challenges

Developing the proposed Golden Dome defensive system presents significant technological challenges. Hypersonic missiles are “very difficult to stop,” Lewis acknowledged, although he maintained they are “not impossible to stop.”

Successfully intercepting hypersonic threats will require a network of space-based sensors and advanced missiles capable of complex maneuvers. “There’s a simple rule of thumb that says that a defender trying to stop an aggressor has to be about three times more maneuverable than the thing it’s trying to stop,” Lewis explained. “So it’s technically challenging, but not impossible.”

Alternative approaches could include directed energy weapons, such as high-power lasers designed to blind missile sensors rather than destroy the missiles outright.

Lewis emphasized that Golden Dome must be a layered defense system capable of countering not just individual weapons but coordinated attacks. “They’re not going to be shooting one or two. They’re going to be shooting salvos at us,” he said, noting the variety of potential threats including “large boost glides, smaller boost gliders, tactical boost gliders, and air breathing systems like cruise missiles.”

“You really have to continue to explore all these various options before you reach a final system architecture,” Lewis concluded.

Related