WASHINGTON: The United States announced on Friday it has successfully tested an unarmed prototype of a hypersonic missile, a weapon that could potentially overwhelm an adversary’s defense systems.
The Pentagon said a test missile flew at hypersonic speeds -- more than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5 -- to a designated impact point. The test followed the first joint US Army and Navy flight experiment in October 2017, when the prototype missile demonstrated it could glide in the direction of a target at hypersonic speed.
"Today we validated our design and are now ready to move to the next phase towards fielding a hypersonic strike capability," Vice Admiral Johnny Wolfe said in a statement.
Hypersonic weapons can take missile warfare, and particularly nuclear warfare, to a new, and for many frightening, level: they can travel much faster than current nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, at different altitudes and with the maneuverability that makes them difficult to defeat with current missile defense systems.
In December, Russia declared it had placed into service their first Avangard hypersonic missile, making it the first country to claim an operable hypersonic weapon. Russian officials claimed that in tests it had reached speeds of up to Mach 27, roughly 33,000 kilometers (20,500 miles) per hour. China is also investing significantly in their development. Last October it displayed its DF-17 hypersonic glide vehicle in its national day military parade.
The U.S. Treasury Department. — AFP FileWASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday issued hundreds of fresh...
Turkish police detaining protesters as they attempt to march to Istanbul's Taksim Square during a May Day rally on May...
Saudi fitness instructor Manahel Al-Otaibi. —AFP/FileDUBAI: Amnesty International called on Saudi Arabia to free a...
Harvey Weinstein. — AFP File NEW YORK: Harvey Weinstein will be retried in New York, the Manhattan District...
A representational image showing students refilling their bottles to hydrate on a hot summer day, at a school in...
This photo taken on May 1, 2024 shows the site of an expressway collapse accident on the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway in...