In August the U.S. Army will perform its second test of a “hypersonic” missile designed strike anywhere in the world in 3 hours.
Called an “Advanced Hypersonic Weapon” (AHW), the missile is intended to give “the ground combat branch…the ability to hit any spot on earth with a devastating non-nuclear explosion…with just a few hours’ notice.”
According to Medium.com, the power of the AHW is so impressive that the other branches of the military may seek to use it as well. The Navy in particular is awaiting the August test to make a decision on whether to adopt the missile.
The first test of the AHW was in November 2011. At that time “the weapon launched from Hawaii atop a three-stage rocket and glided more than 2,000 miles to a test range in the Marshall Islands. The journey lasted only 30 minutes.”
If the platform is adopted, the Army will launch the missile “from silos in the U.S.” while the Navy “could fire it from submarines” or even “surface ships.”
“Congress appropriated $60 million to the Pentagon’s hypersonics program in 2014…and the military wants $70 million for 2015.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com
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