FILE PHOTO: The Pentagon logo is seen behind the podium in the briefing room at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, United States., on January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Al Drago
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s hypersonic weapon programs suffered a setback after a booster rocket carrying a hypersonic weapon failed to lift off, people briefed on the test result said.
The test was intended to validate aspects of one of the Pentagon’s hypersonic glide vehicles in development, two of the people said.
Hypersonic glide vehicles are launched from a rocket in the upper atmosphere before gliding to a target at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound, or about 6,200 kilometers (3,853 miles) per hour.
In a separate series of tests on Wednesday, the U.S. Navy and Army tested hypersonic weapon component prototypes. That test successfully “demonstrated advanced hypersonic technologies, capabilities, and prototype systems in a realistic operating environment,” the Pentagon said in a statement.