The Pentagon announced Friday that giant US defense groups Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman will develop missiles to help the United States better defend itself against ultrasound attacks.
These hypersonic missiles can fly at least 5 times the speed of sound, i.e. Mach 5, and are more efficient than ballistic missiles and can operate at lower altitudes, making them more difficult to detect.
The Pentagon said three contracts totaling more than $60 million had been signed to develop interceptor missiles.
The United States successfully tested hypersonic missile technology used by Russia and China in late September.
The US Department of Defense said at the time that it had successfully test-fired a missile capable of flying 5 times the speed of sound, in the first successful test of this class of missiles since 2013.
experiment and test
In a statement, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency indicated that a free-flight test of the “hypersonic” hypersonic missile was successfully conducted.
This class of missiles fly in the upper layer of the atmosphere at speeds exceeding 5 times the speed of sound, or about 6,200 kilometers per hour.
“The missile, manufactured by Raytheon Technologies, was launched from an aircraft seconds before the Northrop Grumman scramjet engine was triggered,” the project agency said.
The Pentagon confirmed nearly a month ago that China had tested a hypersonic missile with a nuclear charge that was difficult to counter, explaining that Beijing was developing this arsenal much faster than expected.
According to a recent report released by the US Congressional Research Office, China has developed this technology aggressively, deeming it necessary to defend itself against “hyperacoustics” and other advances in US technology.
This (Chinese) experiment took place at a time of rising tensions between the United States and China, while Beijing intensified its military activities near Taiwan – Washington’s self-governing, democratic island ally – which China considers one of its territories and Pledges to reconnect it with the mainland.
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