USA tries hard to test hypersonic weapon, albeit to no avail

The United States conducted a test launch of a hypersonic weapon, RIA Novosti reports citing an American military official.

The US Army and Navy, the official said, tested a conventional hypersonic system at Cape Canaveral space station in Florida. The test was an important step in the development of an operational hypersonic technology, the official added.

The agency did not specify whether the launch was successful. It only provided important data for the future development of hypersonic weapons in the United States.

In mid-July, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said that the United States wanted to speed up the implementation of its programs to develop and test hypersonic missiles.

In June, Congress announced that the US Army would have its first hypersonic weapon before 2025.

At the same time, the Government Accountability Office clarified that the US military failed to achieve the goal of deploying the first battery of LRHW (Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon) hypersonic missiles. Problems with the launcher and launch procedure were identified during the last two tests in 2023, the report said.

In March, the United States tested the AGM-183 ARRW hypersonic cruise missile. It was launched from a B-52H strategic bomber that took off from Anderson Air Force Base in Guam. The military called the test a success and noted that the launch provided valuable information aimed at expanding the range of hypersonic weapons programs.

It was also said in March that the US military would test the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) in 2024. In October, The Drive wrote that the military revealed a photo of the HACM for the first time.

In early June, the United States test-fired the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The test took place at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.