The Department of War’s Test Resource Management Center, or TRMC, and Naval Surface Warfare Center, or NSWC, Crane Division have selected Stratolaunch and Varda Space Industries to support Task Area 3 under the second iteration of the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed, or MACH-TB 2.0, program.
As the Pentagon continues to expand hypersonic testing and development efforts through programs like MACH-TB 2.0, defense leaders are gathering to discuss what comes next for research, development and innovation. The Potomac Officers Club will host the 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29, bringing together government and industry experts to examine emerging technologies and acquisition priorities shaping the future force. Sign up now!
The National Security Technology Accelerator said Thursday the Task Area 3 contract was awarded through the NSWC Crane-sponsored Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems other transaction authority agreement.
According to NSTXL, the selection advances the MACH-TB 2.0 initiative by expanding hypersonic flight testing beyond traditional missile-based approaches.
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What Is the Scope of MACH-TB 2.0 Task Area 3?
Task Area 3 focuses on reusable, recoverable and innovative, or RRI, hypersonic flight test solutions. Under the award, Stratolaunch and Varda will provide reusable or recoverable test and launch vehicles, as well as perform RRI launch services.
Task Area 3 is designed to work in coordination with Task Area 2, which will focus on providing additional hypersonic test capabilities once awarded.
TRMC and NSWC Crane view RRI test platforms as a key enabler for meeting the Pentagon’s goal of conducting 50 hypersonic flight tests per year.
“This award marks an important milestone in advancing the nation’s hypersonics testing ecosystem. By expanding into reusable and recoverable flight test solutions, MACH-TB 2.0 is enabling faster, more affordable, and data-rich testing that will accelerate innovation across the hypersonics community,” said Tony Kestranek, vice president of S2MARTS at NSTXL.
What Is MACH TB?
The Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed is a Pentagon program designed to accelerate the testing of hypersonic technologies.
TRMC launched the MACH-TB program to build an affordable hypersonic flight test bed designed to rapidly boost hypersonic flight test capacity. The program leverages commercial launch service providers to support scalable testing.
In late 2024, MACH-TB 2.0 kicked off with the award of Task Area 1 to Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, which is leading engineering, integration and testing efforts for the program. Kratos announced that it secured a five-year, $1.45 billion contract for Task Area 1 under the MACH-TB 2.0 program.
In May 2025, TRMC and NSWC Crane completed two flight tests for a reusable hypersonic vehicle.
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