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2d ago

Air Force Pauses Hypersonic Cargo Landing Plans on Johnston Atoll

Responding to seabird habitat concerns, the Air Force is now evaluating alternative remote Pacific sites for its hypersonic cargo program.

A great frigatebird chick scolds neighboring seabirds as they fly past its nest on Johnston Island, within the Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in 2021. Eric Baker/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY /Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
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Overview

  • The Air Force has put the environmental assessment for a proposed rocket cargo landing on Johnston Atoll in abeyance pending selection of an alternative demonstration site.
  • The Vanguard program is designed to deliver up to 100 tons of supplies to remote bases within about 90 minutes using hypersonic rockets.
  • Johnston Atoll was initially chosen for its strategic value as a forward logistics hub to support potential Asia–Pacific military contingencies against near-peer competitors.
  • The Center for Biological Diversity and biologists warned that proposed rocket landings would harm seabird nesting sites and led to legal challenges over habitat protection.
  • Potential replacement sites under consideration include Kwajalein Atoll, Midway Island and Wake Island, each offering prepared landing-pad infrastructure and U.S. military presence.