The Department of Defense recently concluded a successful test flight of a glide body for hypersonic weapons.
The Army and the Navy are jointly developing the missiles, which can travel at Mach 5 in hitting targets up to 1,000 miles away.
The successful test of the C-HGB took place at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii.
These types of projectiles are unique in a number of ways. While they use a conventional rocket booster to generate their incredible speed, this booster eventually separates from the glide body.
This means it can no longer accelerate, but is capable of maneuvering to evade defenses, which is unlike any other weapon currently in use.
Hypersonic weapons are one of the biggest areas of competition between the militaries of the U.S., China and Russia.
The Army and Navy hope to field a ground-launched and ship-based hypersonic weapon by 2023.
