DVIDS
The Missile Defense Agency, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, successfully executed Flight Test Other-40 (FTX-40), or Stellar Banshee, on March 24, 2025. In doing so, the agency achieved a significant step in advancing defenses to counter hypersonic threats to operational forces and the nation.
During the test, conducted off the coast of the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii, USS Pinckney (DDG 91) demonstrated the ability to detect, track and perform a simulated engagement of an advanced maneuvering hypersonic target using the Sea Based Terminal (SBT) Increment 3 capability embedded in the latest Aegis software baseline.
The tracking exercise included firing a simulated Standard Missile (SM)-6 upgraded missile at the target, an air-launched Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) with a Hypersonic Target Vehicle (HTV) – 1 front end. This target is engineered to allow testing and defeat of a variety of hypersonic threats. FTX-40 also provided a data collection opportunity for the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) demonstration satellite.
