Pentagon: U.S. plans to conduct tests of hypersonic weapons in 2019
WASHINGTON, March 2. /TASS/. The United States plans to conduct numerous tests of their hypersonic weapons next year. This was announced on Thursday in an interview to group of journalists, including the correspondent of TASS, the Director of the office of promising research programs of the Pentagon (DARPA) Stephen Walker.
“We’re going to start testing these systems [hypersonic weapons] in 2019. You will see a lot of flight tests”, — he said.
Walker stressed that the development of hypersonic weapons is a priority of his administration, which is responsible for this together with the air force and NASA, and Army (ground forces) and the Navy for several years.
“It will be a system with great potential,” he said.
The head of DARPA, also emphasized that interacts with the missile defense Agency of the Ministry of defense for the development of ways to protect against this type of weapon. According to him, the office has provided the Agency with all available information for the hypersonic weapons and intelligence on the developments of other countries.
“China and Russia are active in the field of hypersonic weapons and build up its capacity”, — said Walker.
Earlier Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin in the message to the Federal Assembly spoke about some of the latest developments of weapons systems that have no analogues in the world.
Among them a new Intercontinental ballistic missile “Sarmat”, a hypersonic complex “Dagger”, a cruise missile with a nuclear power plant and an unmanned underwater vehicle that can be equipped with conventional and nuclear ammunition.
The head of state stressed that the growing military power of Russia — is a reliable guarantee of peace on the planet, and all work on strengthening of defensibility of the country was held within the framework of existing agreements in the field of arms control.