The US Air Force conducted a test of the HAWC hypersonic missile in mid-March, according to CNN. However, this has not been reported so far so as not to escalate tensions with Russia, the channel reported.

The US Department of Defense and the Air Force Advanced Research Projects Office (DARPA) conducted tests of the hypersonic cruise missile HAWC (Hissonic Air Breathing Weapon Concept). A DARPA statement released on Tuesday, April 5, did not specify the exact date of the flight tests, only that they took place “recently”.

Meanwhile, CNN reported, citing a senior Pentagon spokesperson, that the tests took place in mid-March, just days after Russia used the Dagger hypersonic missile during the Ukraine war. However, according to CNN, this information was not published to avoid tensions in relations with Russia.

DARPA: The rocket flew almost 500 km.

According to DARPA, the rocket’s speed was five times the speed of sound and was maintained “for a long time”. The spacecraft rose to an altitude of more than 65,000 feet (about 20 kilometers) and flew more than 300 nautical miles (about 482 kilometers).

The first launch of the US HAWC hypersonic missile took place in September 2021. Prior to this, tests of other types of hypersonic weapons were conducted.