The US successfully tests new hypersonic missile five times the speed of sound

Shafaq News/ Last week, The United States tested an advanced hypersonic missile system that will "offer next-generation capability" to the US military, the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) said.

The test flight comes just a few months after Russia tested a similar missile.

THE AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE GIANTS RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES AND NORTHROP GRUMMAN DEVELOPED the US missile system called a "Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept" (HAWC), which was developed by the aerospace and defense giants Raytheon Technologies and Northrop Grumman.

The missile was released from under the wing of an aircraft, and seconds later, a rocket booster kicked in, propelling it faster than the speed of sound, or Mach 1.

Then a secondary engine built into the missile called a "scramjet" turned on and accelerated the missile to hypersonic flight.

Hypersonic speed is considered faster, five times the speed of sound, equivalent to just over 100 kilometers (60 miles) per minute or about a mile every second.

Monday's successful test was the first of this weapon's class since 2013, the Pentagon said.

The US test comes after Russia carried out tests of hypersonic missile systems, which President Vladimir Putin has called "invincible" and unrivaled anywhere in the world.

In July, Russia tested a ship-launched hypersonic missile called "Zircon," which Moscow said rocketed to Mach 7.

Russia's arsenal of hypersonic weapons already includes "Avangard" hypersonic glide vehicles and the air-launched "Kinzhal" missile.

The US and Russia, China, France, and other major powers have also announced plans to develop their hypersonic weapons.

"The DoD (Department of Defense) has identified hypersonic weapons and counter-hypersonic capabilities as the highest technical priorities for our nation's security," said Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon's Missiles & Defense business unit.