US Air Force says it conducted successful hypersonic weapon test

WASHINGTON: The US Air Force announced Tuesday that it conducted a successful test of an air-launched hypersonic weapon in the Pacific Ocean.

The test was conducted Sunday after a B-52 bomber left Guam with an Air Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), the Air Force said in a statement.

Although the US Air Force called the test a success, it did not disclose the speed at which the weapon flew. In past tests, the ARRW flew at least five times the speed of sound.

The United States is not alone in developing hypersonic weapons, whose speed and maneuverability make them difficult to track and intercept.

Russia has fired hypersonic missiles at targets in Ukraine and China has tested hypersonic weapons, US military officials said. China’s Foreign Ministry denied in October that it had conducted a weapons test.