Air Force to test hypersonic weapon in race to catch up with adversaries

China and Russia already wield missiles that travel faster than the speed of sound, but the U.S. Air Force announced this month that it will test a hypersonic missile of its own that it hopes to make available to warfighters in the early 2020s.

The 412th Test Wing will conduct a first booster test flight of the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon sometime in March, the Air Force announced, flying the weapon on a B-52 bomber over the Point Mugu Sea Range in California. The weapon will separate and test boosters before disintegrating in the atmosphere.