Hypersonic weapons—missiles that fly low-altitude trajectories at more than five times the speed of sound—are the focus of a burgeoning arms race between the United States, Russia, and China.

Does the US military have hypersonic weapons?

The United States has six distinct hypersonic weapons in development, spread across the Air Force, Army, Navy, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). These include both boost-glide and cruise missiles. Three of the boost-glide weapons are slated for deployment in the next few years.

Which countries have hypersonic weapons?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the scientists involved with developing the hypersonic systems and noted that “very few countries have such a capability today.” China, Russia, and the United States are all developing hypersonic weapons and have conducted successful tests of their systems.