Hypersonic weaponry news and discussions

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New rotating-detonation engine boosts hypersonic missile efficiency
By David Szondy
January 14, 2026

Two revolutionary aerospace technologies collide as GE Aerospace and Lockheed Martin team up to demonstrate a new liquid-fueled rotating-detonation ramjet (RDRJ) designed to close the "efficiency gap" in hypersonic flight with new tactical inlets.

Hypersonic flight may seem like the biggest shove to the envelope since the sound barrier was broken in 1947 and rotating detonation may look like a quantum leap in propulsion, but combining the two shows how far both of these have come in recent years. Today, it isn't simply a matter of using one to boost the other. The technology has matured to the point where engineers have to seriously consider factors such as efficiency.

Being able to fly at over five times the speed of sound has a tremendous potential in both military and civilian applications but the technology is still in need of improvement. One area of concern is the efficiency gap for hypersonic missiles that use ramjets for propulsion.

Ramjets are jet engines that effectively have no moving parts. Instead of using turbines to compress incoming air as it flows into the combustion chamber, it uses the forward motion of the engine to compress the air by way of its own inertia. Unfortunately, for the ramjet to work properly, it has to be traveling at Mach 3 to ignite. That means the missile or other vehicle needs a massive rocket booster if it's to reach ignition velocity.

https://newatlas.com/military/rotating- ... c-missile/

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Low-cost hypersonic rocket engine takes flight for US Air Force
By David Szondy
March 19, 2026

The US Air Force is stomping on the accelerator to field advanced hypersonic missiles as the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Ursa Major announce the successful completion of a flight test of the mass-producible Draper liquid rocket engine.

It can often appear as if the United States is lagging behind its competitors when it comes to hypersonic missiles. Russia has fielded systems like Zircon and Avangard, while China operates the DF-17. By comparison, the US has yet to deploy an operational hypersonic system, prompting talk of a “hypersonic gap.”

However, many of the hypersonic systems rushed into service elsewhere come with significant drawbacks that remain unresolved.

One of the main challenges is cost. Hypersonic missiles are estimated to cost around 33% more than comparable ballistic missiles with maneuverable warheads, with total life-cycle costs exceeding US$1 billion per unit. Production is another bottleneck, particularly for the solid rocket motors used to boost glide vehicles and cruise missiles to the necessary speed and altitude to reach Mach 5.

https://newatlas.com/military/low-cost- ... ight-test/