Army, Navy Jointly Test Hypersonic Glide Body

The Department of Defense has announced the test of its new hypersonic glide body technology, one of the Pentagon's top research priorities. National Defense Magazine expects the weapon system to give the United States a quick-strike edge over Russia and China. DoD explained that hypersonic weapons can travel five times faster than sound and can strike targets up to thousands of miles in minutes. The military plans to mass-purchase the weapon once the technology becomes usable for the field, National Defense Magazine reported. In a press release, DoD said the information gained from the test will be used to support the Army's and Navy's individual hypersonic efforts. The two services jointly tested the glide body known as C-HGB, which includes a conventional warhead, guidance system, cabling and thermal protection shield.