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The US hypersonic program experienced another setback, as a newly developed missile capable of traveling five times faster than sound failed during a recent test.
Testing took place at the Pacific Missile Range facility in Hawaii, and the test was supposed to launch a Common Hypersonic Glide Body with a large rocket booster.
However, US Department of Defense spokesman Tim Gorman revealed that a hypersonic missile ignition occurred.
Although he was unable to complete the test, Gorman said it should not be considered a complete failure.
The Defense Ministry said it would conduct a comprehensive review to determine the cause of the malfunction.
Previous failures
The failure was the third failed missile attempt under the conventional Quick Strike program to develop hypersonic weapons that could be integrated into Zumwalt destroyers and Virginia-class submarines.
In October last year, a booster rocket carrying a hypersonic glide object failed to launch at the Pacific Spaceport complex in Alaska.
The launch failure of the missile meant that the test was unable to provide data on the combined hypersonic glide body.
In December, another US hypersonic test failed.
The AGM-183A air-launched hypersonic rapid response weapon failed to separate from the B-52H bomber host due to an unspecified error.
top priority
Despite the numerous setbacks, the Defense Ministry has said that the development of hypersonic weapons remains a "top priority."
Gorman claimed to remain confident that he was still on the right track to find both offensive and defensive hypersonic capabilities on schedule.