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Will the COVID-19 pandemic have a disruptive effect on R&D for hypersonic technology?

Aviation Week Defense Editor Steve Trimble responds:  

In the near term, the supply chain for a handful of operational prototyping programs in the U.S. is vulnerable to disruption. The Pentagon’s hypersonic prototypes rely on a large number of small, boutique companies with highly specialized skills, especially for exotic materials required for enduring skin-friction temperatures in environments above Mach 5. 

Small companies have fewer financial and personnel resources to overcome the disruptive effects of a virus pandemic than do larger companies. Pentagon officials have said they are monitoring the hypersonic supply chain closely for this reason. 

In the long term, a clear answer is difficult to provide. The economic impact of the coronavirus could reduce the overall resources available to spend on the Defense Department’s modernization priorities. The 2018 National Defense Strategy, however, emphasizes a military posture with a critical role for long-range, high-speed weapons. The overall strategy is unlikely to change, but the nature of advanced technology programs, including hypersonic weapons, make them highly dependent on securing long-term, bipartisan political support.