Cummings Aerospace’s Hellhound S3 successfully completes first Army test range flight, demonstrating high-speed tactical drone technology.
Cummings Aerospace, a pioneer in advanced aerospace and defense technology startups, has successfully completed Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) 2025 testing for its 3D-printed kamikaze drone the Hellhound S3 in collaboration with the US Army at Fort Moore, Georgia. The drone completed a GPS-enabled mission on Jan. 30, 2025, where it exceeded speeds of 375 mph while meeting all mission objectives.
Weighing under 25 pounds, the Hellhound S3 is designed to provide Infantry Brigade Combat Teams with advanced strike capabilities. The drone’s breakthrough lies in its innovative engineering, combining 3D printing with DoD-approved commercial components to create a cost-effective and lightweight system.
This test flight proved that the drone had achieved Technology Readiness Level 7 (TRL-7) in terms of its reliability in an environment similar to combat. The Hellhound S3 can quickly swap between warhead, electronic warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) payloads with the incorporated modular payload bay.
Cummings Aerospace chief executive Sheila Cummings said the drone has a key advantage over traditional quadcopters and propeller-driven drones, achieving speeds to target areas that are orders of magnitude faster.
The flight-testing for the program will continue and the company intends to submit the Hellhound S3 to the US Army’s Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program with an option that could scale across military services and allied forces.
