America Tests Potential New Superweapon As War Fears Mount: DETAIL
The United States of America appears to expand its hypersonic capabilities.
The pursuit of hypersonic weapons is a high priority for the Chinese, Russians and the United States. While the USA has the world's greatest military arsenal, there are concerns that the Chinese are racing ahead when it comes to hypersonic technology.
It now appears that the Pentagon and the USA might be closing the gap.
A digital rendering of what a hypersonic missile looks like. (Credit: Getty Images Creatives)
America successfully tests hypersonic vehicle.
Stratolaunch, an aerospace company, recently announced that it successfully completed a test flight of the hypersonic vehicle Talon-A2, and it had speeds of Mach 5.
"With the data collected from this second flight, we are able to apply lessons learned to enhance the strength and performance of the Talon-A vehicles. While the team needs to complete its data review of flight two, the first flight review confirmed the robustness of the Talon-A design while demonstrating the ability to meet the full range of performance capabilities desired by our customers. We’ve now demonstrated hypersonic speed, added the complexity of a full runway landing with prompt payload recovery, and proven reusability. Both flights were great achievements for our country, our company, and our partners," Stratolaunch President and CEO Dr. Zachary Krevor announced.
You can check out a video of the Talon-A2 roaring through the sky in the video below.
The exact technology and payloads carried on the hypersonic vehicle are being kept under wraps and shrouded in secrecy for obvious reasons.
"We cannot disclose the nature of those payloads, other than to say typical materials, instrumentation, sensors, etc. The customers were thrilled with their ability to recover the payloads shortly after landing," Krevor explained, according to Wired.
The biggest obstacle the United States faces is that China has operational hypersonic weapons for at least a few years, and America has none, according to the same Wired report.
That gives the Chinese at least one potential advantage in a military conflict. Why is that something that must be solved immediately?
Because the Chinese have a window to take Taiwan that the United States believes opens in 2027. That means the clock is ticking to close any potential weapons gaps.
Wired reported the United States has already spent around $12 billion on developing hypersonic weapons, and it's a bit concerning that we have none that are fully operational.
Stratolaunch successfully conducted tests of the Talon-A2. (Credit: Getty Images Creatives)
Hopefully, the successful tests of Talon-A2 are a sign the United States is moving in the right direction. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.