Navy fires Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missile with cold-gas launch for the first time

Lockheed Martin/Conventional Prompt Strike

The US Navy's Strategic Systems Programs ran an end-to-end flight test of the Conventional Prompt Strike missile from Cape Canaveral, the first using the cold-gas launch method planned for ships and submarines. The gas ejects the missile from its tube before the first stage ignites, unlike hot-launch systems such as the Mk 41 cell, where the motor lights inside the ship.

• Two more end-to-end tests of the shared Navy-Army missile were completed in 2024.
• Planned platforms: Zumwalt-class destroyers and Virginia-class submarines.
• Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe (SSP) said the method lets the missile reach a safe distance above the ship before ignition.