The U.S. Air Force said Monday it had successfully tested a hypersonic missile off the coast of Southern California on Dec. 9.
The United States has been testing its hypersonic missile capabilities amid growing concerns Russia and China have had more success developing their own hypersonic weapons.
The Lockheed Martin-built hypersonic missile reached over five times the speed of sound after it was fired from the bomber. The missile flew its scheduled flight path and detonated at its target, according to the Air Force.
“I am immensely proud of the tenacity and dedication this team has shown to provide a vital capability to our warfighter.”
The “All-Up-Round” test of the full prototype by the Air Force was similar to the two previous booster tests in that they were launched from a bomber flying off the coast of Southern California.
US Behind China
The Pentagon is eager to advance progress on hypersonic missile testing and development, particularly since China and Russia have demonstrated progress in their own projects.Last year, a secret Chinese hypersonic missile circled the earth and struck down toward a target. To address the threat, U.S. lawmakers urged that long-stalled military research be restarted.
One expert has said that the United States is trailing China in the development of hypersonic weapons.
“We are only seeing the beginning of their weapons developments in this field.”
ARRW
The ARRW is a boost-glide missile that accelerates a projectile to hypersonic speeds using a booster rocket. The glide vehicle subsequently separates from the rocket and travels at hypersonic speeds using inertia.They also improve the Air Force’s capacity to carry out precise attacks by enabling fast-reaction strikes against strongly defended ground targets.
The test was carried out by the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base.