US kept secret its test of hypersonic missile in mid-March
The United States reportedly tested a hypersonic missile in mid-March but kept it under wraps for two weeks to avoid raising tensions with Russia.
According to a defense official familiar with the matter, the US successfully tested the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) which was launched from a B-52 bomber off the west coast.
The test took place as US President Joe Biden was preparing to travel to Europe and also days after Russian forces said they had used a hypersonic missile in Ukraine, the official said.
The test is the first of the Lockheed Martin version of the weapon and is the second successful test of a HAWC missile.
During the latest test, a booster engine accelerated the missile to high speed, at which point the air-breathing scramjet engine ignited and propelled the missile at hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 and above.
The missile eventually “reached altitudes greater than 65,000 feet and flew for more than 300 nautical miles,” according to a statement from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The test came less than a week after Russia said it had used its own hypersonic missile to strike a Ukrainian weapons storage facility.
US officials, however, downplayed the importance of Moscow’s test of their hypersonic Kinzhal missile, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin saying he did not view it as "some sort of game changer."
At the time of the US test, Biden was preparing for a visit to NATO allies in Europe, including a stop in Poland where he had a meeting with Ukraine's foreign minister and defense minister.
The US has avoided taking steps or making statements that could escalate the tensions between Washington and Moscow.
In March, the US military postponed a test of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile before altogether canceling the launch on Friday.
On the whole, the US has also remained somehow discreet about the weapons and equipment it sends into Ukraine. Only, the Defense Department, in the latest $300 million security assistance package, listed specific systems and weapons.
The US has resumed laying emphasis on hypersonic weapons after successful Russian and Chinese tests in recent months, aggravating the concern in Washington that the US is lagging behind on a military technology considered critical for the future.
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