Latest US hypersonic weapon test fails, amid Chinese missile concerns

Name: US ‘deeply concerned’ despite China denying it recently tested hypersonic nuclear missile
Uploaded: 2021-10-21T23:51:49.000Z
Duration: 1 min 41 s
Description: US ‘deeply concerned’ despite China denying it recently tested hypersonic nuclear missile

The setback occurred due to a problem with a booster rocket for one of the Pentagon’s glide vehicles in development

The US and its global rivals have quickened their pace to build the next generation of arms that rob adversaries of reaction time

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Companies such as Raytheon Technologies are working to develop hypersonic weapon capability for the US. This artist’s concept shows an air-breathing missile, which uses different technology from its glide vehicle counterparts. Image: Raytheon Missiles and Defence handout via Reuters

Reuters

Published: 7:51am, 22 Oct 2021Updated: 7:51am, 22 Oct 2021

The Pentagon’s hypersonic weapons programme suffered a setback on Thursday when a booster rocket carrying a hypersonic weapon failed, people briefed on the test result said.

The test was intended to validate aspects of one of the Pentagon’s hypersonic glide vehicles in development, two of the people said.

Hypersonic glide vehicles are launched from a rocket in the upper atmosphere before gliding to a target at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound, or about 3,853mph (6,200km/h).

In a separate series of tests conducted on Wednesday, the US Navy and Army tested hypersonic weapon component prototypes.

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US ‘deeply concerned’ despite China denying it recently tested hypersonic nuclear missile

That test successfully “demonstrated advanced hypersonic technologies, capabilities, and prototype systems in a realistic operating environment”, the Pentagon said in a statement.