ABQ Times

During a recent test conducted by the Missile Defense Agency in cooperation with the Navy, Sandia National Laboratories played a pivotal role in advancing defenses against hypersonic threats. The Missile Defense Agency launched a Sandia-developed hypersonic target vehicle from a C-17 aircraft towards the USS Pinckney, an Aegis destroyer, for a simulated intercept.

Hypersonic weapons, known for their speed and unpredictable trajectories, pose a significant challenge to defense systems. However, the USS Pinckney successfully detected, tracked, and executed a simulated engagement of the Sandia target using integrated space capabilities. This test provided valuable data for the Missile Defense Agency to enhance future live-intercept tests.

The event, named Flight Test Other-40, occurred off the coast of the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii. It marks a significant step forward in countering hypersonic weapons and demonstrates Sandia's continued efforts in this area. Aaron Bentley and Tones Silva from Sandia National Laboratories participated in the launch team aboard the C-17 aircraft.

"This is the first time we've flown a hypersonic advanced target for MDA and a big step forward for the nation," said Dennis Helmich, Sandia's director for integrated military systems. Sandia, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center, has been collaborating with the Department of Defense on hypersonics for several decades.

Sandia designed and built a new variant glide body for the test, engineered to mimic a variety of threats in a controlled environment. The organization has a long history in the engineering of hypersonic vehicles, and this test further supports technology advancement and flight testing capabilities.