US defense giants Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman have been awarded contracts to develop missiles that could protect the United States from hypersonic attacks, the Pentagon announced Friday.

Hypersonic missiles, like traditional ballistic missiles, can fly more than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5).

But they are more maneuverable than their ballistic counterparts and can trace a low trajectory in the atmosphere, making them harder to defend against.

The three contracts were awarded for the development of glide phase interceptors and together are worth more than $60 million, the Pentagon said.

In October the United States successfully tested hypersonic missile technology, which is already being deployed by China and Russia.

The Pentagon recently confirmed that China in August carried out a test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile that would be difficult to defend against, and has said that Beijing is expanding its arsenal more quickly than anticipated.

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Russia test fires Zircon hypersonic missile
Moscow (AFP) Nov 18, 2021
Russia said on Thursday it had carried out another succesful test of its Zircon hypersonic cruise missile, one the latest additions to the country's arsenal of weapons called "invincible" by President Vladimir Putin. Moscow has in recent years touted the development of weapons that it hopes will give it the edge in any arms race with the United States at a time of growing tensions with the West. Hypersonics can travel more than five times the speed of sound and manoeuvre in mid-flight, making th ... read more