HUNTSVILLE, Alabama, — Cummings Aerospace has successfully demonstrated the vehicle-based launch and simultaneous control of two 3D-Printed Hellhound S3 jet-powered drones using a new multi-pack launcher mounted on a Polaris utility vehicle. The test took place on August 25, 2026, at the Pendleton UAS Range in Oregon, and the company announced the results on October 12.
During the demonstration, a company engineer launched two drones sequentially, with less than 90 seconds between launches. Both carried inert payloads and followed different preprogrammed autonomous flight paths at varying speeds. A single operator used a handheld fire control system to monitor both drones in real time, with the ability to adjust or abort either mission.
The operator programmed the drones’ flight paths, altitudes and waypoints before launch. Cummings Aerospace reported that the test met all its primary objectives.
The demonstration marked several firsts for the Hellhound S3 programme: its first vehicle-based launch after more than a dozen man-portable tests, the first use of the new launcher designed to hold up to eight drones, the first sequential ripple-fire launch, and the first simultaneous control of multiple Hellhounds by one operator.
Hellhound S3 Capabilities
The Hellhound S3 is a compact, approximately baseball-bat-sized drone weighing around 6 kilograms (13 pounds). Powered by a turbojet engine, it can fly more than 60 kilometres (37 miles) at speeds of up to 618 km/h (384 mph).
The system uses 3D-printed components and commercially available electronics to support rapid, lower-cost manufacturing. Cummings Aerospace says it can produce more than 100 units per month.
The S3 features a modular payload system with four interchangeable mission modules: armour-piercing, blast-fragmentation, electronic warfare and decoy. The modules can be changed in under two minutes without tools. Depending on its configuration, the drone can serve as a loitering munition, precision-guided weapon, one-way attack drone or counter-drone interceptor.
In its man-portable configuration, the drone, launch canister and ground controller weigh less than 11 kilograms (25 pounds) combined, allowing a single soldier to carry the system.
Cummings Aerospace CEO Sheila Cummings said the system would allow one soldier using a single fire control system to deploy multiple Hellhounds against separate targets, increasing the capabilities of a small operational unit.
Launcher Development and Future Testing
The new multi-pack launcher can hold up to eight Hellhound S3 drones. Designed to be lifted by two personnel, it can be integrated into different crewed and uncrewed military vehicles.
Cummings Aerospace plans further salvo-launch tests, including demonstrations from uncrewed ground vehicles and uncrewed surface vessels at sea. The company has not announced any official military production orders following the recent test.
Larger Hellhound S4 Variant
Cummings Aerospace is also developing the Hellhound S4, a larger variant first unveiled at SOF Week in 2025. The tube-launched drone measures 1.47 metres (58 inches) in length and weighs approximately 20 kilograms (45 pounds) in its canister. It is designed to reach targets 130 to 140 kilometres (81 to 87 miles) away and remain airborne for more than 1.5 hours.
The company is positioning the S4 as a potential low-cost cruise missile alternative and a surveillance asset for the US military’s Golden Dome missile defence programme.
Founded in 2009, Cummings Aerospace is a Native American woman-owned defence company based in Huntsville, Alabama. The latest demonstration advances the Hellhound S3’s development from man-portable operations to vehicle-based deployment, with further launcher integration and testing planned.
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