We fell short of our Fall Fundraiser goal of 2,500 donations. Help us catch up ⏩ Give Now
Codebreaker

Army successfully launches supersonic weapon

John Moe Nov 18, 2011

We heard a while ago about a DARPA test of a weapons system that would travel much faster than the speed of sound. Only wrinkle: they lost it in the ocean somewhere. Whoops. Now the US Army seems to have improved on that a little by making a weapon prototype that went five times the speed of sound AND, crucially, did not get lost. It goes 2300 miles an hour! Yikes!
From SlashGear:
The weapon was launch from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai. The vehicle is a glider like the DARPA device that is lofted into orbit and then glides to reach its target. According to the military, the weapon would be able to navigate and avoid flying over other nations on its approach to its target.
So do we get excited for a thing that travels this fast and is designed to kill people and blow stuff up? I guess. Yay?

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.