US successfully flight tests Raytheon hypersonic weapon, says Pentagon

The United States has successfully tested an air-breathing hypersonic weapon built by Raytheon Technologies, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The United States has tested an air-breathing hypersonic weapon capable of speeds faster than five times the speed of sound, marking the first successful test of the class of weapon since 2013, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The test took place as the United States and its global rivals quicken their pace to build hypersonic weapons - the next generation of arms that rob adversaries of reaction time and traditional defeat mechanisms.