US Seeks $806 Million in FY2027 for New Hypersonic Cruise Missile
Boeing’s X-51 hypersonic cruise missile
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The US Air Force is requesting $806.1 million in research and development funding for fiscal year 2027 to carry out prototype flight testing for its new Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) ahead of formal production, according to a Sputnik correspondent’s analysis of the US Air Force’s budget reports in recent years. Earlier in October, the War Zone portal reported, citing a US Air Force spokesperson, that the US military had conducted the first flight tests of the HACM in collaboration with Australia. The development of this missile has been underway since 2022. At the time, Washington expressed concern about falling behind Russia and China in hypersonic missile production. The FY2027 budget proposal directs $272.6 million into manufacturing capacity enhancements and factory upgrades across the supplier base. The US Air Force noted these investments began ahead of production to ensure the industrial base can handle full-rate manufacturing without delivery delays. Another $263.3 million is budgeted for prime contractor Raytheon to purchase hardware, validate the missile design, buy long-lead test assets, and invest in manufacturing readiness following the closure of critical design work. The budget also allocates $148.7 million for a capability advancement contract awarded to Raytheon in December 2023, whose operational details are classified. The remaining funds cover $88.9 million to conduct All-Up Round flight verification tests and subsystem qualification, alongside $32.6 million for contractor development support, government civilian pay, and management services. The request marks the weapon’s transition from an experimental prototype toward factory production. In total, the US Air Force projects spending $3.12 billion through FY2031 to conduct prototype flight trials, ready factory lines for an FY2027 production start, and fund four years of follow-on development. HACM is designed as an air-launched, air-breathing hypersonic weapon intended to hold high-value, time-sensitive targets at risk in contested environments from standoff distances.
MilitaryUS Seeks Golden Dome Radar to Track Ballistic, Hypersonic, Cruise Missiles Simultaneously5 August 2025, 10:03 GMT
