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Ursa Major Unveils HAVOC, a Throttleable, Modular Hypersonic Missile

Flight testing of the Draper engine is described as imminent, with a yearlong test program planned before a boosted hypersonic trial.

Overview

  • Debuted at the Air Warfare Symposium, HAVOC centers on Ursa Major’s Draper liquid rocket engine using storable propellants and designed for throttling and in‑flight restarts.
  • The company claims throttle control can enable maneuvering and reduce the need for heavy thermal protection by operating at higher altitudes.
  • A modular core is intended to support launches from fighters, bombers, shipboard vertical launch systems, and ground launchers, with endo‑ and exo‑atmospheric profiles and a configuration for use as a hypersonic target.
  • Ursa Major targets an all‑up‑round cost under $3 million and says it can produce roughly 80–90% of the system in‑house, with seekers outsourced and manufacturing expansion under evaluation.
  • Leaders frame HAVOC as an affordable complement to U.S. hypersonic efforts as CRS notes most American systems are non‑nuclear, though all performance and cost claims await government‑verified flight tests.