Hypersonic Missile Flies at Eight Times the Speed of Sound

In less than half an hour, the US military was able to launch an Advanced Hypersonic Weapon from its Hawaiian military base to Kwajalein Atoll, an island in the Pacific Ocean over 2,300 miles away. The missile, which flies at eight times the speed of sound, is being developed as part of the Conventional Prompt Global Strike program, which is aimed at creating a weapons system that can strike anywhere in the world in less than an hour.

This first test, which was held earlier this summer, failed and sent chunks of highly advanced aeronautical debris into the Pacific Ocean. This test was much less publicized — no tweeting — and held up under the pressure.