Hypersonic missiles, lethal weapons that exceed the speed of sound, are being developed by several countries. The United States is even rumored to have successfully tested it last month in secret.
As quoted by us from the Daily Mail, the US reportedly does not want the success to be known by the Russians even though it seems to have leaked too. Russia itself is said to be more advanced in the manufacture of hypersonic missiles, and has even used them in the war in Ukraine.
Russia's defense ministry admits it used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles to destroy underground warehouses containing Ukrainian weapons. Any missile that beats the speed of sound by at least five times or Mach 5 or more, can be classified as a hypersonic missile.
The US hypersonic missile test itself was carried out in mid-March. Quoted from the Daily Mail, the missile called the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) was fired from a B-52 bomber.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) said the hypersonic missile managed to reach speeds beyond Mach 5. According to DARPA, the missile successfully achieved all of the test objectives.
The test was carried out secretly considering that tensions between the US and Russia were very high regarding the war in Ukraine. The US itself is said to be lagging behind in the development of hypersonic missile technology from Russia and China.
"We have to catch up very quickly. China has developed a very aggressive hypersonic missile program in recent years," said Gen. David Thompson of the US Air Force some time ago.
Hypersonic missiles can be changed direction even after being flown and maneuver with agility. In addition, this kind of missile is difficult to detect because it is so fast, it is even said to be almost impossible to track by modern radar and air defense systems.