The American military-industrial company Lockheed Martin has begun testing a new hypersonic weapon concept. Its prototype reportedly flew at five times the speed of sound “over an extended period” during recent successful trials.

This was the second flight under the Hypersonic Air Breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC). US officials described the new flight as an important milestone. The purpose of the program is to conduct military operations at higher speeds and with greater efficiency.

“We are still analyzing flight test data, but we are confident that we will provide the U.S. Air Force and Navy with excellent opportunities to diversify existing technology for their future missions,” said DARPA HAWC Program Manager. The aircraft was recorded to reach an altitude of 65,000 feet (almost 19,812 meters), twice the cruising altitude of a typical commercial flight.