Debut of Operations for US Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapons Battery during Exercise.

The US Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) Battery, part of the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF), made history by participating in Exercise Resolute Hunter 24-2, held from June 25-27, 2024. This was the first time the Army's hypersonic capability was integrated into this bi-annual joint training exercise.
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The exercise demonstrated the battery's ability to integrate with higher joint echelons and sustain operations over an extended period. (Picture source: US DoD)

Organized by the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, Resolute Hunter 24-2 is the Department of Defense's only exercise dedicated to Battle Management, Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (BMC2ISR). The event brought together three nations and four joint services for an intensive three-week training period.

Colonel Charles Kean, commander of the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, emphasized the importance of the exercise: "These scenarios provide invaluable sets and repetitions that build upon and reinforce the constant integration of MDTF capabilities in the broader Partnered All-Domain framework."

The exercise demonstrated the battery's ability to integrate with higher joint echelons and sustain operations over an extended period. Bravo Battery, 5th Battalion, 3rd Artillery (Long Range Fires Battalion), 1MDTF, successfully employed its force package for over 72 hours, showcasing the LRHW digital kill chain in collaboration with joint partners and providing real-time situational awareness to the joint command post.

Captain Jennifer Lee, commander of Bravo Battery, 5-3 FA (LRFB), 1MDTF, highlighted the significance of the exercise: "Exercise Resolute Hunter 24-2 demonstrated the crucial role of land power and the Army's indispensable contribution to joint operations. I am proud of our team's commitment to excellence and their ability to adapt and innovate in a complex and dynamic training scenario."

The development of the Army's long-range hypersonic weapon has been a long-term effort. Soldiers have been part of the prototyping process since 2019. After receiving the initial hardware in March 2021, the unit began New Equipment Training (NET) in September 2021, consisting of four three-week iterations. The deployment process was completed by the end of fiscal year 2023, allowing soldiers to train on the equipment, create doctrines, and develop new tactics, techniques, and procedures. In February 2023, the unit deployed the capability over 3,000 miles to Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the system’s longest recorded overland movement to date, as part of Exercise Thunderbolt Strike, demonstrating the Army's ability to rapidly deploy the hypersonic capability.

Since then, the unit has participated in several other named and joint exercises, with Resolute Hunter being the latest.

As a theater-level unit and Joint Force enabler assigned to the Indo-Pacific, the 1MDTF plays a crucial role in synchronizing long-range precision fires layered with long-range precision effects to create multiple dilemmas and neutralize adversary A2AD (anti-access and area denial) networks. The 1MDTF’s proven innovation, agility, and lethality have led the Army to direct five full MDTFs in strategically significant locations worldwide.