US hypersonic missile test expected to spur on China’s programme
- America’s recent successes follow a series of setbacks but it is still lagging behind other major powers
- Earlier this year Russia became the first country to use hypersonic weapons on the battlefield after striking targets in Ukraine
That success came days after the US Air Force successfully tested Lockheed Martin’s AGM-183A air-launched tapid response weapon booster off the California coast on July 12. The missile was launched from a bomber and met its primary and secondary objectives, the air force said.
Hypersonic weapons travel in the upper atmosphere at speeds of around 6,200km per hour (3,800mph). They can also change their trajectory after launch to evade defence systems. Such missiles are designed to destroy time-sensitive targets and, once fielded, can expand a country’s precision-strike abilities.
George Nacouzi, an aerospace engineering specialist from the American think tank Rand Corporation, said: “The US has had some setbacks in the past, but it appears that they’ve had some major successes recently, and assuming continued successful development, the US should be able to deploy these systems in the near term … These successful tests should be no surprise to competitors while providing additional reassurance to allies and partners.”