Air Force Demonstrates Long-Range Hypersonic Targeting

The Air Force said a B-52 Stratofortress has conducted a simulated long-range hypersonic missile strike during Northern Edge 21, a military exercise focused on improving joint interoperability and combat readiness. 

During a sortie from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, the B-52 received targeting data from more than 1,000 nautical miles away at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the Air Force said. 

Lt. Col. Joe Little, deputy commander of the 53rd Test Management Group, said the most recent test was focused on demonstrating the data links needed to complete the long-range kill chain loop, in addition to being able to confirm whether the strike was successful. 

The bomber used the targeting data to launch a simulated shot from 600 nautical miles away as part of the All-Domain Operations Capability experiment. 

ADOC-E staffers have coordination authority to facilitate long-range joint fires and other capabilities in the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System, a future battlefield network. 

ABMS is one of the Air Force’s cornerstone technology priorities and is aimed at establishing a network-centric approach in partnership with the other military services. 

The Air Force added that the test showcased “beyond line of sight” kill chain employment in the highly contested test threat environment that Northern Edge simulates. 

“The team did an outstanding job effecting this event both in planning and execution. This is a win for the U.S. Air Force and greater DOD as a whole but make no mistake, we are just getting started,” said Lt. Col. Matt Guasco, 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron commander.