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The U.S. Department of Defense launches a sounding rocket from NASA's launch range at Wallops Flight Facility carrying hypersonic weapon experiments that will inform the development of the hypersonic class of weapons, on Wallops Island, Va., on Oct. 26, 2022. Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
The U.S. Navy and Army successfully conducted a test of hypersonic weapons components and materials on Oct. 26, the Pentagon announced, amid continued efforts to surpass Russia and China in developing the emerging class of weapons.
Hypersonic weapons refer to weapons that can travel faster than Mach 5—meaning five times faster than the speed of sound, or around 3,800 mph (6,116 kph)—and can maneuver during the flight.
