Kratos secures USD 1.45 billion contract for hypersonic test bed initiative

The contract, overseen by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), aims to enhance hypersonic testing capabilities. MACH-TB 2.0 is a critical component of the National Hypersonic Initiative 2.0, designed to accelerate hypersonic flight testing while reducing development risks and costs.

MACH-TB 2.0 will serve as a bridge between ground-based hypersonic tests and full system-level flight tests. By increasing test capacity, it will expedite the transition of advanced hypersonic technologies to operational use, addressing a vital need in the nation’s defence strategy.

George Rumford, TRMC Director, highlighted the programme’s importance, stating, “MACH-TB is an essential tool to accelerate science and technology experiments into next-generation hypersonic capabilities for our nation.”

Kratos will lead the initiative under Task Area 1, focusing on Systems Engineering, Integration, and Testing (SEIT). This includes providing subscale and full-scale launch services and mission planning to support increased hypersonic flight test frequency.

Michael Johns, Senior Vice President of Kratos SRE, underscored the strategic significance, saying, “The nation is at a critical point in the need for rapid and affordable hypersonic flight testing, and the MACH-TB programme is filling that need.”

Key partners in the effort include Leidos, Rocket Lab, Stratolaunch, and several universities such as Purdue and the University of Minnesota. These collaborators will contribute expertise in engineering, integration, and testing to meet programme objectives.

Dave Carter, President of Kratos’ Rocket Support Services Division, noted the company’s recent achievements with hypersonic systems, including the Erinyes Hypersonic Flyer and Zeus Solid Rocket Motors. “Kratos is a leader in the testing and fielding of hypersonic systems, and we are very excited to bring this unmatched expertise to the MACH-TB 2.0 programme,” he stated.

Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos, described the award as a landmark achievement for the company. He added, “This programmatic milestone underscores our unwavering commitment to rapidly developing affordable, mission-critical solutions for the evolving needs of the warfighter.”