Additively manufactured kamikaze drone completes flight tests at over 350 mph
February 4, 2025
Cummings Aerospace, headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, USA, reports it has recently completed a series of rigorous flight tests for its new Hellhound turbo-jet-powered, additively manufactured kamikaze drone, which can fly at speeds faster than 350 miles per hour. The drone is designed to equip the US Army’s Infantry Brigade Combat Teams with the same combat power as Armoured Brigades, enabling precise, long-range strikes against tanks, armoured vehicles and fortified positions.
The Hellhound combines Additive Manufacturing and US Department of Defense-approved commercial components to reduce production costs, simplifying logistics and delivering advanced capabilities at lower costs than traditional systems. In its entirety (vehicle, launch canister and ground control system), it weighs around 11 kg, allowing single-Soldier deployment and enhancing Infantry mobility. The modular design supports warhead, Electronic Warfare, and ISR payloads; soldiers can field-swap payloads in less than 5 minutes without tools.
The flight tests provided critical data, further validating Hellhound’s readiness for complex operational scenarios.
“The modern battlefield demands speed, and quadcopters and propeller-driven drones are slow. In combat, our peer adversaries will exploit every second of delay,” stated Sheila Cummings, CEO of Cummings Aerospace. “Hellhound’s jet-powered design ensures Infantry Brigade Combat Teams can act faster – gathering intelligence and striking critical targets deep in the contested areas before the enemy has time to react.”
The tests took place at Pendleton UAS Range, Oregon, USA, from January 22-25, 2025. There were three flight tests covering speed and range testing, seeker integration and inert payload testing. The Hellhound flew faster than 350 mph at half throttle while exceeding distances of 20km, using just 50% of fuel. The tests also proved Hellhound’s ability to conduct Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions by validating Hellhound’s seeker with live video transmission during flight. It also verified the functionality of critical systems by conducting simulated strikes with an inert warhead.
The Hellhound flew, and performed reliably, in very low temperatures, high winds and snow. The tests validated the airframe and key subsystems at Technology Readiness Level 7 (TRL-7), proving reliable performance in operationally realistic conditions, meaning that all primary objectives were achieved.
