WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2020) The United States plans to conduct a crucial hypersonic weapons test in the coming months wary of a possible "Sputnik" moment in its technological race against adversaries, Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said in a memorandum.
A flight experiment has been scheduled later this fiscal year to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Navy-designed Hypersonic Glide Body, according to the memorandum as quoted by military.com.
"[The 1957 Sputnik launch] should heighten our awareness that major technological breakthroughs such as hypersonic weapons can destabilize the global security environment and pose an existential threat to our nation," Modly said in the memorandum on Friday. "In fact, the possible applications of hypersonic technologies have already changed the nature of the battle-space, much as nuclear technology did in the past century. That is why, when it comes to hypersonic weapons, our command today must be 'All Ahead Full.'"
Modly likened the intensity of the present competition to acquire hypersonic capability to the mid-twentieth century space race between the United States and Soviet Union. In October of 1957, the US public was stunned to learn that its arch-adversary launched into space the world's first artificial satellite - Sputnik 1.
Russia and China both boast advanced hypersonic capabilities. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in January that the Pentagon was increasing funding and accelerating testing to develop hypersonic weapons years earlier than it had previously planned.
