Hypersonic weapons are like traditional ballistic missiles. They can fly five times more than the speed of sound. They can trace a low trajectory in the atmosphere making them hard to defend against. The US Navy and Army tested three hypersonic weapons that will incur developments of new weapons the Pentagon said. The three tests were successful.
The Army and Navy will conduct flight test of common hypersonic missiles in fiscal 2022 which began on Oct.1. The Pentagon said,” these tests demonstrated advanced hypersonic technologies, capabilities and prototype system in a realistic operating environment.” Companies like Lockheed Matin and Raytheon Technologies are working to develop hypersonic weapon capability for Unites States.
The long range Hypersonic Weapons provide a capability at a distance greater than 2,775 kilometers. The test was conducted at a NASA facility in Wallops, Virginia. The Navy said, “It is a vital step in development of a Navy designed common hypersonic missiles.”
According to Financial Times, China launched a hypersonic missiles that completed a circuit of the planet missing its target. US president Joe Biden said on Wednesday he is concerned about Chinese Hypersonic missiles. Ambassador Robert Wood expressed concerns earlier this week following reports that China has conducted the test. China insisted that it was a routine one for a spacecraft rather than a missile test. Wood said Russia had tested hypersonic technology and United States held back developing a military capacity in this field and it has no choice but respond in kind.
The Pentagon hopes to deploy its first hypersonic weapons by 2025 and has said their developments is one if its highest priorities.