The American company Cummings Aerospace has tested launching 3D-printed Hellhound S3 jet drones from a launcher mounted on a Polaris off-road vehicle. A single operator used a portable controller to command two aircraft on different routes.
The test took place on August 25, 2026, at the Pendleton UAS Range in Oregon, and the company released the results on October 12.
The Hellhound S3 is a portable turbojet strike drone with a 3D-printed airframe.
S3 Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
| Manufacturer | Cummings Aerospace (Huntsville, Alabama, founded in 2009) |
| Type | Loitering munition / one-way attack drone / UAV interceptor |
| Engine | Turbojet, throttleable |
| Length | About 90 cm (the size of a baseball bat) |
| Weight | About 6 kg (13 lb) |
| Max. speed | Up to 618 km/h (384 mph) |
| Range | Over 60 km (claimed) |
| Launch | Vertical, from a launch container |
| Single-soldier kit | Drone + container + controller: under 11 kg (25 lb) |
| Production | Over 100 units per month (company claim) |
| Readiness level | TRL 7 / MRL 7 (per the company, as of September 2025) |
| Class | Group 1 UAS |
Design and Production
The airframe is mostly printed on commercial 3D printers. The remaining parts are commercial components approved by the US Department of Defense. The architecture is modular, in line with MOSA standards. The company says this approach makes serial production cheaper and simplifies logistics. The developer seeks to have multiple suppliers for propellers and printing materials so as not to depend on a single one..
Modular Warheads
Interchangeable modules can be swapped without tools in less than 2–5 minutes.
| Module | Purpose |
| Armor-piercing | Engaging armored vehicles |
| High-explosive fragmentation | Engaging personnel and light targets |
| EW | Electronic warfare |
| Decoy | Distracting air defense |
First Test on August 25, 2026
The drone was tested at the Pendleton UAS Range in Oregon. Two Hellhound S3 drones with inert payloads were launched one after another from the Polaris-mounted launcher in under 90 seconds.
Routes, altitudes and trajectories were set on a handheld controller. The drones then flew autonomously, while the operator saw real-time data and could change or abort the mission. The company reported that the set objectives were achieved.
Development Timeline
| Date | Event |
| January 22–25, 2025 | Three flights in Oregon: over 350 mph at half thrust, over 20 km on half the fuel |
| 2025 | First public appearance of Hellhound at SOF Week |
| 2025 | Demonstration at AEWE: first S3 flight at an Army range |
| August 5, 2025 | S4 presented at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium |
| September 18, 2025 | Range test: over 30 km, with over 50% fuel remaining |
| August 25, 2026 | First vehicle launch |
Advantages
- Speed: Hellhound is compared with propeller-driven drones, which take much longer to cover the same distance.
- A single soldier can carry the kit and launch the drone without a runway.
- One person controls several aircraft, increasing the firepower of a small unit.
- Versatility thanks to interchangeable modules.
The company plans salvo launches from a multi-round launcher, launches from a launcher on an unmanned ground vehicle, and launches from an uncrewed boat at sea.
