Business Corpus: China Reports This Breakthrough In Hypersonic Weapons DevelopmentThe hypersonic weapons race is heating up as China reportedly had a successful test flight of a hypersonic vehicle, as the U.S. speeds up its own development of the superfast technology. The post China Reports This Breakthrough In Hypersonic Weapons Development appeared first on Investor's Business Daily.

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The hypersonic weapons race is heating up as China reportedly had a successful test flight of a hypersonic vehicle, as the U.S. speeds up its own development of the superfast technology.

The Starry Sky 2 is China's first hypersonic vehicle using "waverider" technology, which involves using an aircraft's own shock waves to improve lift.

The vehicle was built by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics and reached a maximum speed of Mach 6, or six times the speed of sound, according to China Daily.

Analysts believe that hypersonic weapons have the potential to be the most disruptive battlefield technology since the advent of stealth, as current missile defenses are unable to stop them.

Other U.S. adversaries are making gains in the field. Last month, Russia released videos of its hypersonic weapons under development. They included an air-to-ground missile and a missile that could carry a nuclear warhead.

In March, the Kremlin also released video showing a fighter jet launching the Kinzhal hypersonic weapon. U.S. intelligence believes it could be ready for combat by 2020, but recent tests have indicated problems keeping it airborne for more than two minutes, sources told CNBC earlier this year.

U.S. Hypersonic Weapons Efforts

While Russia and China make rapid gains in hypersonic weapons development, the Pentagon has been under fire for years over sluggish development and acquisition practices.

But industry has been making headway. Lockheed Martin (LMT) received a contract from the Air Force in April to build a hypersonic strike weapon that could be launched from fighters and bombers.

The Air Force has another hypersonic effort called the Tactical Boost Glide program. The program is being developed with DARPA and could produce a prototype by 2022 or 2023.

Raytheon (RTN) is investing in hypersonic technology and developing ways to defend against the fast and unpredictable weapons.

Meanwhile, Boeing (BA) has been working on hypersonic weapons technology for years, and in 2013 a test flight of its X-51 Waverider provided proof that it was feasible. The X-51 reached Mach 5 and flew for a total of six minutes.

Lockheed shares were up 0.2% to 317.69 on the stock market today. Raytheon rose 0.5% to 197.16. Boeing jumped 1.1% to 350.39.

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