As reported by Ukrinform, this was reported by Reuters.

The French Defense Procurement Agency reported on Monday that a VMAX hypersonic glider sonic missile was launched from the Biscarosse missile range in the Bay of Biscay in southwestern France.

“Flight testing in a highly complex, long-range orbit was an unprecedented technical challenge that would pave the way for the future of our national hyperspeed roadmap,” the agency said in a statement.

However, the agency did not provide any details about the results of the test, but noted that it is currently analyzing data collected during the test.

In 2019, France signed a contract with aviation company ArianeGroup to manage the VMAX program to develop a hypersonic glider demonstrator.

Hypersonic gliders – maneuverable unmanned aerial vehicles flying at speeds greater than Mach 5 (6,000 km/h) – have been under investigation by the major nuclear powers for several years.

They usually use a rocket that lifts the glider to tens of kilometers above the ground, then descends the glider and payload back at hypersonic speed.

Hypersonic gliders are designed to carry a nuclear or conventional warhead. Unlike ballistic missiles, whose orbits are initially fixed, hypersonic gliders can change direction at high speed.

As he reported UkrinformIsraeli defense contractor Rafael has announced the development of a hypersonic interceptor system, the first of its kind.