The Pentagon signed a contract for the development of hypersonic missiles worth $985 million

The Pentagon informed on September 22 that it had signed a $985 million contract with Raytheon Technologies to develop prototypes of a hypersonic attack cruise missile.

Reuters writes about it.

The Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) is an air-launched hypersonic weapon being developed in collaboration with the Australian government. It moves in the upper layers of the atmosphere at a speed of about 6 200 kmph, which is about five times the speed of sound.

"As advanced threats emerge around the world, the hypersonic attack cruise missile will provide our warfighters with a much-needed capability," noted Raytheon Missiles & Defense President Wes Kremer.

The U.S. Air Force expects to receive such missiles in the 2027 fiscal year.

• In May of this year, the U.S. Air Force successfully tested the AGM-183A hypersonic missile from Lockheed Martin. During the tests, the rocket reached a speed five times higher than the speed of sound (more than 6 000 kmph).
• Prior to that, the U.S. built a radar in Alaska to track hypersonic missiles and satellites.
• In January 2022, the DPRK announced a successful test of a hypersonic missile.
• Russia announced successful tests of such weapons in December 2021.