The LRHW is a road-mobile and air-transportable weapon system, armed with missiles that can travel at speeds in excess of 3,800 miles per hour, with a reported range of 1,725 miles. It communicates with the Army's command and control networks via the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System.

The LRHW system consists of Army ground support equipment—one battery operations center (BOC), four transporter erector launchers, a BOC support vehicle and up to eight All-Up Rounds plus Canister. The LRHW leverages a Navy-designed missile (a two-stage booster and the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (CHGB)) packaged in an Army canister.

The real difference with today's hypersonic weapons is that they combine multiple features that in the aggregate make them very hard to shoot down. Speed, maneuverability (unpredictability) and flight at relatively low altitudes (as compared to ballistic missiles) make modern hypersonic weapons survivable and more likely to reach the intended target. Existing missile defenses have a very low chance of intercepting.

There are two basic types of hypersonic weapons hypersonic cruise missiles and boost-glide weapons. LRHW is a boost-glide weapon.

The first operational battery achieved initial operating capability (IOC) by September 30, 2025. They are assigned to the 1st MDTF under I Corps for Indo-Pacific operations. This battery, comprising eight live missiles, is forward-deployable via C-17 aircraft. A second battery with minor upgrades is slated for Q4 FY2026, with the program transitioning to the Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space (PEO MS) in FY2025 for sustainment.

The Navy's variant, Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS), shares the C-HGB and booster for sea-based deployment: integration on Zumwalt-class destroyers by 2026 and Block V Virginia-class submarines starting FY2025.

There are other more advanced hypersonic weapons on the way.DARPA's HAWC/MOHAWC for scramjet maturation and Project Mayhem for Mach 10 uncrewed strikers. Australia and Japan have joint US programs, AUKUS HyFliTE (6 tests by 2028, $252 million) and U.S.-Japan GPI co-development. Industrial scaling aims for hundreds of weapons. By 2035, there will be layered hypersonic constellations with ground/sea/air offense with space-based HBTSS tracking. The US plans to take the lead in hypersonic weapons over Russian and Chinese systems.