The Texas A&M University System board of regents has approved funding that will be used to create the US Army Futures Command’s (AFC) latest hyper-sonic weapons test center.
Regents on Thursday voted in favor of spending some $79 million in university funds on the US Army and AFC’s Bush Combat Development Center, which was unveiled last year during a naming ceremony dedicated to former US President George H.W. Bush.
Prior to the announcement of funding from the school, approximately $50 million was approved by the state of Texas, and around $65 million was contributed by the Army.
The “investment” as the school termed the move, was originally slated to run $130 million for the testing center alone, according to the university’s October 2019 news release.
In addition to a kilometer-long tube that will be used to actually field potential hyper-sonic weapons on the RELLIS Campus, the university’s decision has approved run ways, laboratories, underground and open-air ranges and a resilient network of sensors and systems for experimentation, data collection, analysis and storage.
The vote will bring hundreds of millions worth of private investment to Central Texas as these facilities come to life. Simply put, this is where American defense contractors will want to set up shop if they want to work with the US Army Futures Command.”
Defense News noted that since the establishment of the AFC in July 2018, its commander, General John M. Murray, has been seeking outside assistance from the local tech and educational community of Austin, Texas.
It’s worth noting the US military did not disclose the exact velocity the missile reached at the time, only stating that it traveled at “hyper-sonic speed.”
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point News 2020.
America running behind the facts now that Russia has taken the lead in military innovation. Moscow proved and showed it in Syria, where the US coalition was defeated.
Getting stuff to the drawing table.