The US suffered a setback in the race with China and Russia to develop hypersonic weapons when its latest test failed, the Pentagon said in a statement Thursday.

A booster stack, which is the rocket used to accelerate the projectile to hypersonic speeds, failed and the test of the projectile, the hypersonic glide body, could not proceed, the statement said.

Because the rocket failed, the Pentagon was not able to test the hypersonic glide body, which is the key component needed to develop a hypersonic weapon.

Officials have started a review of the test, which took place Thursday at the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska, to understand the cause of the booster failure.

"Experiments and tests -- both successful and unsuccessful -- are the backbone of developing highly complex, critical technologies at tremendous speed, as the department is doing with hypersonic technologies," said Lt. Cdr. Tim Gorman, a Pentagon spokesman, in a statement.

The Pentagon has made developing hypersonic weapons one of its top priorities, particularly as China and Russia are working to develop their own versions. The failure is another blow to the US effort following a failed test in April and comes days after it was reported that China had successfully tested a hypersonic glide vehicle.

Traveling at Mach 5 or faster, hypersonic weapons are difficult to detect, posing a challenge to missile defense systems. Hypersonic missiles can travel at a far lower trajectory than high-arcing ballistic missiles, which can be easily detectable. Hypersonics can also maneuver and evade missile defense systems.

Reports of successful Chinese and Russian test

Over the weekend, the Financial Times reported that China had successfully tested a hypersonic glide vehicle capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. They reported the glide vehicle was launched from an orbital bombardment system. Though China denied the report, saying on Monday that the test was instead a "routine spacecraft experiment.

Defense officials say they are particulary concerned about China developing hypersonic capabilities because they could enable Beijing to launch an attack over the South Pole, evading US missile defenses, which are generally geared toward missiles coming over the North Pole.

Two weeks ago, Russia claimed to have successfully tested a submarine-launched hypersonic missile for the first time, dubbed the Tsirkon. Earlier this summer, Russia said it had fired the same missile from a warship.

Nevertheless, the Pentagon insists it remains on track to deliver offensive hypersonic weapons in the early 2020s, a timeline that seems more urgent with the advances in hypersonic technology shown off by the Russians and Chinese.

"This flight test is part of an ongoing series of flight tests as we continue to develop this technology," Gorman said.

The failed test of a hypersonic glide body occurred after the Navy and Army earlier this week conducted a series of successful hypersonic measurement tests highlighting the Pentagon's priority of rapidly researching and testing the weapon system. The three joint sounding tests were designed to collect data and carry out hypersonic experiments from DoD partners involved in developing the advanced weapons.

"These launches allow for frequent and regular flight testing opportunities to support rapid maturation of offensive and defensive hypersonic technologies," the Navy said in a statement about the trials.

Those tests, carried out at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, provide data for the development of the services' hypersonic weapons, including the Navy's Conventional Prompt Strike and the Army's Long Range Hypersonic Weapon.

The US is focusing on conventional hypersonic weapons that are based on ships, land and air platforms.

In April, the Air Force's hypersonic missile program suffered a setback when it failed to launch from a B-52. Instead, the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) remained on the aircraft.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/latest-us-military-hypersonic-test-fails/ar-AAPO3Ir?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531

U.S hypersonic weapons tests keep failing while Russia and China continue to make giant stride in this area. When will uncle sam get it right. America can't match Russia and China in this area.

Later those NL small boys will start telling you how U.S has had its own hypersonic weapons since 1901 but were stored secretly

This is actually not a failure except you are a non technical person falling for hype or maybe planted news by the Americans. They were testing the glide body for temperature and aerodynamic characteristics and the rocket to be used did not work. They must have changed the rocket, done the test and collected the data they wanted.

dermmy:
U.S hypersonic weapons tests keep failing while Russia and China continue to make giant stride in this area. When will uncle sam get it right. America can't match Russia and China in this area.

Later those NL small boys will start telling you how U.S has had its own hypersonic weapons since 1901 but was stored secretly

and you believe them?

Lol... America though... Keep deceiving the world....

obonujoker:
Lol... America though... Keep deceiving the world....

shut up your foolish mouth. America don't have shit, all their weapons are bullshit. China will crush Taiwan at it's chosen time and if America intervenes they will be destroyed completely. China already defeated America during the Korea war this time all American soldiers will be exterminated

I'm waiting for igbo and Africa military expert to come and tell us how the test was a success but USA intentionally concealed it because they want to surprise RUSSIA AND CHINA

Mossadd:
I'm waiting for igbo and Africa military expert to come and tell us how the test was a success but USA intentionally concealed it because they want to surprise RUSSIA AND CHINA

Well, they did surprise them in 1945 with the A-Bombs. That led to the Cold War between Russia and US as the former felt kept in the dark despite the good relationship they had then. So if one opine that this is to merely downplay their capacity, how could that be out of place?

dermmy:
U.S hypersonic weapons tests keep failing while Russia and China continue to make giant stride in this area. When will uncle sam get it right. America can't match Russia and China in this area.

Later those NL small boys will start telling you how U.S has had its own hypersonic weapons since 1901 but was stored secretly

Waiting for China- Russia World dominion. Islamic world would see and hear sege!

timesup234:
shut up your foolish mouth. America don't have shit, all their weapons are bullshit. China will crush Taiwan at it's chosen time and if America intervenes they will be destroyed completely. China already defeated America during the Korea war this time all American soldiers will be exterminated

Waiting for China- Russia World dominion. Islamic world would see and hear sege. Prophesy must be fulfiled.

Vado:


Well, they did surprise them in 1945 with the A-Bombs. That led to the Cold War between Russia and US as the former felt kept in the dark despite the good relationship they had then. So if one opine that this is to merely downplay their capacity, how could that be out of place?

The A-Bomb was no surprise to the USSR. They knew every detail of the the Manhattan Project through the Soviet Intelligence with the help of Klaus Fuchs, Ursula Kuczynski (Agent Sonya) and Len Beurton. The Soviet had the blue print of the project and Klaus Fuchs supplied the soviets every detail of the project from start to finish. Klaus was part of the project so he was a Soviet mole who fed the Russkies every detail.

And point of correction it was not the Atomic bomb that led to the cold war rivalry between America and defunct USSR. It was Communism that was swallowing eastern European countries that triggered the cold war. The fear that western Europe and even the whole world could fall to Communism which America saw as a danger to its own Capitalist system was what triggered the cold war.

Why would America hide its advances in the field of hypersonic weapons. Remember it's a competition between these military powers. Why would you downplay your capability before your fellow competitors when we all know everything about these weapons test/arms race is to achieve deterrence. Has America ever downplayed the capacity of its arms like the THAAD, Drones, Submarines and the rest?

You guys just don't want to admit that America is behind Russia and China in this field. This is where your problem lies everything starts and end with America, if America can't build it no one else can build it. That's what is blurring the reality away from your view. You people see this America as the almighty country. Change your mindset.

dermmy:


The A-Bomb was no surprise to the USSR. They knew every detail of the the Manhattan Project through the Soviet Intelligence with the help of Klaus Fuchs, Ursula Kuczynski (Agent Sonya) and Len Beurton. The Soviet had the blue print of the project and Klaus Fuchs supplied the soviets every detail of the project from start to finish. Klaus was part of the project so he was a Soviet mole who fed the Russkies every detail.

And point of correction it was not the Atomic bomb that led to the cold war rivalry between America and defunct USSR. It was Communism that was swallowing eastern European countries that triggered the cold war. The fear that western Europe and even the whole world could fall to Communism which America saw as a danger to its own Capitalist system was what triggered the cold war.

Why would America hide its advances in the field of hypersonic weapons. Remember it's a competition between these military powers. Why would you downplay your capacity before your fellow competitors when we all know everything about these weapons test/arms race is to achieve deterrence. Has America ever downplayed the capacity of its arms like the THAAD, Drones, Submarines and the rest?

You guys just don't want to admit that America is behind Russia and China in this field. This is where your problem lies everything starts and end with America, if America can't build it no one else can build it. That's what is blurring the reality away from your view. You people see this America as the almighty country. Change your mindset.

I knew the Soviets were in the know of the development of the A Bombs but historians have said then never knew the Americans had successfully completed and ready to deploy that project. You do know both nations had a memorandum of understanding to share weapon advancement intelligence at that stage. So it was logically for the Soviets to feel betrayed when Hiroshima happened. While it is true that this wasn’t the immediate cause of the Cold War, it was remotely the beginning of a drift in the relationship the two countries had as at then which culminated into the nuclear race. Communism as a system & all that were just convenient excuses to shown the discordance in political ideology. But the real underlying agenda was and has always been power & dominance. I don’t subscribe to America being the alpha and omega of it all but countries keep many things under lock and key. Didn’t US get accused of using alien technology in their weapon development? Isn’t Israel the number one in drone technology in the world? Isn’t Israel a nuclear power yet maintains a policy of non admittance or disclosure? You don’t show your enemies all your cards. It’s not wise.

timesup234:
shut up your foolish mouth. America don't have shit, all their weapons are bullshit. China will crush Taiwan at it's chosen time and if America intervenes they will be destroyed completely. China already defeated America during the Korea war this time all American soldiers will be exterminated

Wow, you must really be so damn sure of your submission to have shut the dude up like that.

I guess you work at the Pentagon to know America's military capabilities and weaknesses.

Well, we pray that China have mercy on America if war breaks out between them.