The US Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the US Air Force have tested the HAWC (Hypersonic Air- Breathing Weapon Concept) hypersonic cruise missile. According to a report released on Tuesday, April 5, the DARPA report did not specify the exact date of the flight tests, only that they were "recent", according to the national portal Adyrna.
CNN also quoted a senior Pentagon staffer as saying that the tests took place in mid-March, just days after Russia used the Dagger hyper-missile during the war in Ukraine. However, CNN reports that this information was not disseminated in order to avoid tensions with Russia.
According to DARPA, the speed of the rocket was five times faster than the speed of sound and was maintained "for a long time." The device climbed to an altitude of more than 65,000 feet (about 20 kilometers) and flew 300 nautical miles (about 482 kilometers).
The first launch of the US HAWC hypersonic missile took place in September 2021. Other types of hyper-sound weapons have already been tested.
