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Pentagon pushes hypersonic weapons production as startups slash costs

Pentagon pushes hypersonic weapons production as startups slash costs

As the U.S. works to refill its missile stockpile, it is also looking to develop new weapons for its arsenal. “We’re going to need all three tiers of missiles. The cheap ones, the ones that are now the high-end like Patriot and then maybe some hypersonics,” said Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. Marines colonel and senior advisor with the CSIS Defense and Security Department. The U.S. military is taking an increasing interest in hypersonic weapons, which are maneuverable and travel five times faster than the speed of sound. “These hypersonic systems are now seen as the novel revolutionary system and the ballistic missile is seen as the archaic one,” said UC Berkeley Senior Research Scholar Cameron Tracy. US FALLS BEHIND IN HYPERSONIC RACE AS CHINA, RUSSIA GAIN EDGE But the weapons the military has traditionally invested in could come at a cost. Estimates from the Government Accountability Office show missiles for the Army’s long-range hypersonic weapon, the Dark Eagle, could cost more than $40 million each. As the Navy works to equip its Zumwalt Destroyers with hypersonics, the GAO puts estimates at $70 million per missile, which includes costs to develop and incorporate the necessary technologies. The GAO also notes the modernization project is two years behind schedule. “In the long run, for example, the Army thinks that the long-ranged hypersonic weapon will become cheaper as production ramps up,” said Xiaodon Liang, arms control association senior policy analyst for Nuclear Weapons Policy and Disarmament. Tomahawk missiles cost around $2.6 million, according to the U.S. Navy. Army budget documents show Patriot missiles cost nearly $4 million. Precision Strike Missiles or PrSMs cost $1.6 million per unit. The U.S. Navy could buy almost 27 tomahawks for the price of one hypersonic missile aboard the Zumwalt Destroyers. The Army could buy around 25 PrSMs for the price of one Dark Eagle hypersonic weapon. “The U.S. has invested in recent years in several of the programs that are starting to become into fruition,” said Liang. “These are exquisite weapons. And I think that the military is acquiring them for exquisite purposes.” Hypersonic weapons travel up to 20 times faster than traditional missiles and an adversary’s reaction time is thought to be six times shorter. Hypersonic speeds are also vital for both evading enemy defense systems and executing strikes. The Atlantic Council estimates 75% fewer hypersonic weapons would be needed for a mission. US ARMY OFFERING DEFENSE FIRMS ‘CONCIERGE ACCESS’ TO TEST WEAPONS AT MILITARY RANGES Startups are hoping to bring down some of the costs to produce hypersonic weapons with more affordable missiles and increased testing capabilities. “The weapon itself is under $500,000, which, if you know about munitions, that’s incredibly cheap,” Castelion co-founder and CEO Bryon Hargis said. The Army and Navy are investing in Castelion’s Blackbeard hypersonic weapon, which the company says is designed for mass production. “It is a story about hypersonics and what they can provide in terms of a weapon, but it’s really a story of American manufacturing,” Hargis said. “The company is focused on providing America options to have that middle deterrence layer, and we’re doing that through production.” This year, Castelion began building what it says will be the largest dedicated hypersonic weapon production factory in the U.S. Project Ranger is expected to produce thousands of Blackbeard weapons annually. Those will eventually be used to fill Castelion’s various contracts, such as integrating the weapons into the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet Jets, incorporating the system into the U.S. Army’s HIMARS and deploying Blackbeard on unmanned surface vessels. “The advantage of a hypersonic system is that it goes very far, it gets there quickly and it’s highly survivable because of that maneuverability. And that’s important for achieving deterrence because it’s hard to shoot down,” Hargis said. Hypersonic weapons remain mostly in Earth’s atmosphere. The missiles are maneuverable during flight and can strike a target quickly, in 15-30 minutes from around 1,725 miles away. US REBUILDING WEAPONS STOCKPILE COULD DELAY ORDERS FROM ALLIES “If you don’t know what the target would be initially, unlike a ballistic missile where you can calculate where it’ll land, you might misinterpret, for example, an incoming strike as a decapitation attempt. And that would be very concerning,” Liang said. Developers say the U.S. speaks with other countries about missile launches and what the intended targets are. But there are other concerns that hypersonic maneuverability could lead to inaccuracy. “Technologies do tend to improve over time as testing and especially as experience with use builds up, but there are pretty important physical constraints on the performance of these systems,” said Tracy. Defense contractor Rocket Lab is working with the War Department to improve hypersonic missile capabilities through an increasing number of test launches. INSIDE AMERICA’S LASER REVOLUTION AS THE MILITARY NEARS BIG BATTLEFIELD BREAKTHROUGH “With our HASTE program, what we have enabled is low-cost, high-frequency hypersonic and missile defense testing. And when you can say that you can get that cheaper and faster, now you’re looking at more of a shots on goal approach to demonstrating capability of the technology insertion cycle,” Rocket Lab Vice President of Global Launch Services Brian Rogers said. Rocket Lab’s HASTE is a suborbital test bed launch vehicle that provides flight test opportunities for the government to advance hypersonic and suborbital system technology development. The vehicle is derived from Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket, which has launched nearly 100 missions. “Rather than saying we need to be stuck in an analysis environment, and then it’s a very rigorous test campaign that costs a lot of money and involves a lot people, now you can say we’re planning 12 tests this year. We don’t have to bet the farm on any one of them, which allows us to take more risk and really move the needle in terms of technology development,” Rogers said. The U.S. military has never used a hypersonic weapon but has explored deploying its Dark Eagle to the Middle East. “I would be very surprised if we used

‘Bonnie and Clyde’ illegal immigrant couple accused of brazen jewelry theft spree across four states

‘Bonnie and Clyde’ illegal immigrant couple accused of brazen jewelry theft spree across four states

An illegal immigrant couple dubbed “Bonnie and Clyde” by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allegedly turned strangers’ kindness into a payday, stealing necklaces from elderly victims in a jewelry theft spree stretching across four states. Rudi Lacatusu, 28, and Mirabela Lacatusu, 26, Romanian nationals accused of targeting victims on Long Island, are now in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, DHS announced Tuesday. The pair allegedly carried out at least 14 jewelry thefts across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland, according to DHS, which cited local reporting.  The stolen necklaces were valued between $2,000 and $3,000 each. DHS BOSS REVEALS OVAL OFFICE PLAN TO ‘WITHHOLD FUNDING’ FROM SANCTUARY CITIES AFTER AGGRESSIVE NEW YORK BUST One alleged encounter began with a seemingly innocent request for directions. A 73-year-old woman was standing outside her Valley Stream, New York, home Oct. 5, when a gold Mitsubishi with a man and woman inside pulled up, Nassau County police said. The female passenger asked how to get to BJ’s Wholesale Club. After the woman helped, the passenger stepped out, asked to hug her and placed two gold-colored necklaces around her neck, according to detectives. A short time later, the woman realized her own gold necklace, worth approximately $2,000, was gone. Investigators linked the suspects to similar thefts in Franklin Square and East Meadow. Each faces three counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, police said. DHS said Nassau County authorities turned the couple over to ICE after their arrests. Both entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown time and location, according to DHS. DOJ SUES CONNECTICUT, NEW HAVEN OVER SANCTUARY POLICIES: ‘OPEN DEFIANCE’ “This ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ illegal alien couple from Romania has been charged with grand larceny after allegedly carrying out more than a dozen jewelry thefts across four states,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “Thanks to local partners in New York, these illegal aliens are in ICE custody and will be removed from our country.” Mullin also took aim at Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, arguing that sanctuary policies put Americans at risk. “If it were up to sanctuary politicians like Governor Kathy Hochul, these criminals would be back on the streets to rob more Americans,” he said. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S IMMIGRATION PUSH FUELS ICE’S BIGGEST ARREST MONTH IN AGENCY HISTORY DHS used the arrests to renew its criticism of New York’s sanctuary policies, calling the state a “hotbed of illegal alien crime” under Hochul. DHS also argued those policies have had “disastrous consequences” beyond New York’s borders. The announcement follows Operation Rotten Apple, an ICE crackdown that ran from July 27 through Aug. 29.  DHS said officers arrested 2,197 illegal immigrants across New York during the operation, including people the department described as murderers, rapists, child predators, drug traffickers and violent assailants. Nassau County police initially issued the suspects appearance tickets directing them to court in Hempstead Oct. 20, according to the department’s arrest announcement. DHS’ statement Tuesday did not specify when ICE took custody of them. The case prompted police to warn residents about distraction scams targeting elderly people, including strangers offering jewelry or gifts, asking to pray together, requesting change or seeking help with a flat tire. While a victim’s attention is elsewhere, the thieves can remove jewelry directly from their body, police warned. Authorities urged residents to stay alert in parking lots and outside grocery stores and call 911 to report suspicious activity.  Anyone who has been targeted in a similar theft can contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.

Dem candidate’s bizarre anti-MAGA tirade ends with ‘We have guns too’

Dem candidate’s bizarre anti-MAGA tirade ends with ‘We have guns too’

A Democrat running for county council in eastern Indiana was ridiculed Tuesday after critics claimed she appeared “s— faced” and slurred her way through attacks on Republicans during a televised candidate forum. During the forum, Fayette County Council candidate Jaime West said she would “fire all Republicans” if elected, railed against “MAGAs” she called “racist” and unintelligent and alleged that a sheriff’s nephew had threatened to kill her. Asked for a final message to voters, West responded: “We have guns too.” “This is not a skit,” said LibsOfTikTok, a popular conservative punditry account run by commentator Chaya Raichik. “Jaime West, a Democrat running for Fayette County Council in Indiana, gave an embarrassing interview where she appears to mumble and rant the entire time. Is she intoxicated?” Raichik asked on X. LAWMAKER’S STUNNED FACE AND OTHER VIRAL MOMENTS CAP ROUGH WEEK FOR POLITICAL CLASS Former litigator Viva Frei tweeted that the video initially appeared to be a “skit [or] high school video project.” “I had to make sure she did not have a neurological disorder that could account for the slurred speech and insane rambling. She doesn’t. And even if she did have a diagnosed neurological disorder, ‘we have guns too’ after talking about firing all Republicans would ordinarily be disqualifying,” Frei said. When asked one decision she would make if elected that constituents would find unpopular, West told the moderator, “Fire all Republicans.” “I wouldn’t let them — I don’t even talk to them. I don’t like them. They voted against — their own state representative voted against her own party,” West continued while also pledging not to raise taxes. DEM SENATE HOPEFULS UNDER SCRUTINY FOR ‘CHOKE THEM OUT’ RHETORIC AFTER TRUMP ATTACK SCARE “Y’all did this to us. … You made this happen. This ICE coming into our communities, stealing people’s jobs. I mean, I’ve been threatened so many times to my face by MAGA; we’ll call them, because there’s Republicans who actually get it. You know, there are good Republicans out there, but then there’s these MAGAs who are just racist and aren’t very intelligent at all,” West continued. “They call you names. The sheriff’s nephew threatened to blow my head off. But, you know, what are you going to do?” The moderator paused before asking West for a final message to voters. “We have guns too,” West said as the moderator pivoted to informing viewers about how to vote in the Hoosier State’s elections this year. West could not immediately be reached for comment. While it was not immediately clear which Indiana sheriff West was referring to, Zac Jones, who leads the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office where she is running, was stunned by the remark. “I don’t know Jaime West, and she obviously doesn’t know me. I have five nieces and zero nephews. I’m not sure what she is talking about, and I’m certain she has no idea what she is talking about either,” Jones told Fox News Digital. “It’s a sad day when this is the best the Democrat Party can get to run for this important local office.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER West is running against Republican Gary Keener Jr. in Fayette County.