The Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands (PMRF) located on the Hawaiian island of Kauai will soon be hosting the 293rd Offensive Space Control Squadron of the US Space Force, but will only use the facility's existing capabilities. The squadron will focus on defending US space communication systems from attacks from the outside and conduct electronic warfare in space to disrupt the communications of a potential enemy.
This is not the only important task that the facility is currently doing for the Pentagon. The PMRF is also one of the main testing sites for modern American weapons, specifically missiles, and is used by government agencies and private contractors alike.
Among other projects, the PMRF is carrying out tests as part of the common-hypersonic glide body programme - the first successful US attempt to catch up with Russia and China in the field of hypersonic weapons. While this hypersonic vehicle has already been branded by Trump as a "super-duper" missile, its development is yet to be completed and its final capabilities are yet to be revealed.
At the same time, China is reportedly close to delivering its first hypersonic missiles to the People's Liberation Army. Russia, in turn, has already added two types of hypersonic missiles to its arsenal, the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle and the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile, which can at hypersonic speeds. In addition, one more type of hypersonic weapon is currently being developed by Russian military engineers and will be adopted by the armed forces in the coming years.
