According to a report from a US website on August 9th, Cummins Aerospace announced an improved version of its "Hellhound" drone at a space and missile defense seminar held in Huntsville, Alabama this week. This model is designed specifically for carrying out homeland defense missions. The company is upgrading the "Hellhound" S3 model to the new S4 model to perform air defense missions, especially in response to drone threats. This model meets the framework requirements of the missile defense system "Golden Dome" proposed by US President Trump. The "Hellhound" S3 drone, driven by a turbojet engine and 3D printed, can carry multiple payloads. Cummins Aerospace is using it as a cruise missile option to participate in the bidding process planned to be launched by the US Army this year. According to the CEO of the company, Sheila Cummins, the "Hellhound" S4 is designed specifically for the "Golden Dome" mission. It is an expanded version of the S3 and adopts a modular architecture (such as a detachable nose), which allows the drone system to switch between multiple modes such as anti drone, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, or being used as a weapon like a low-cost cruise missile. She added that the "Hellhound" S4 model "has true multitasking and multi platform launch capabilities. Although land-based launch is the main method, its body and launch tube also support sea based and air based launches. Cummins said, "Its maneuverability and multitasking capabilities are clearly crucial for the layered defense system of the 'Golden Dome'. The weight of the 'Hellhound' S3 is roughly between 12 pounds (about 5.4 kilograms) and 14 pounds, while the weight of the S4 is around 45 pounds. But most of the functions of both use the same software, additive manufacturing technology, 3D printing materials, and commercially available components. The "Hell Dog" S4 model is currently in the engineering development stage, and the company is manufacturing a prototype. Cummins stated that this drone is planned to undergo flight testing as early as this autumn to next spring. Similar to the manufacturing strategy of the "Hellhound" S3 model, the design of the S4 model also takes into account the need for large-scale production. The US military is changing its weapon system procurement methods, requiring bidding companies to demonstrate their mass production capabilities in many cases. Previously, the US military focused more on the performance of weapon systems on the battlefield when procuring them, and rarely paid attention to the production difficulty or supply chain stability of such systems. Cummins pointed out that most of the components of the "Hellhound" drone are self-made through commercial 3D printers, while non exclusively supplied standard components are procured. She said, 'As part of the manufacturing strategy, the key to low-cost solutions is to design with consideration for our ability to source materials such as screws and 3D printing materials from multiple suppliers.'. Precision payloads are a different challenge, but when it comes to electronic components, we must ensure that we can procure these components from multiple suppliers. ”(New Society)