What is a hypersonic missile?
A hypersonic missile is a weapon that flies at least five times the speed of sound, mostly inside the atmosphere, and can maneuver on the way to its target. That mix of speed, low altitude and agility makes it hard to detect and intercept.
Also known as: Hypersonic weapon, Hypersonic glide vehicle, Hypersonic cruise missile
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How it works
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) wrote in a January 2023 report that the label is often misapplied. In the strict sense, it said, the term covers a missile that reaches at least Mach 5, five times the speed of sound. It must also stay inside the atmosphere for most of its flight, where its shape lets it maneuver. That combination, not speed alone, separates it from a ballistic missile, which mainly flies above the atmosphere.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) identifies two main types. A glide vehicle launches on a rocket, then glides to its target. A cruise missile uses a high-speed, air-breathing engine called a scramjet. Because these weapons fly low and can change course, ground-based radar cannot detect them until late in flight, shortening response time.
CBO called managing heat the fundamental remaining challenge, with sustained temperatures up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Why it matters
Supporters say these weapons can strike distant, heavily defended or time-sensitive targets. CRS said in an August 2025 update that Russia and China have likely fielded operational glide vehicles, potentially armed with nuclear warheads. Most U.S. designs are not built to carry them, it said. Critics question the need. CBO's 2023 analysis put hypersonic missiles' cost about one-third above that of same-range ballistic missiles with maneuverable warheads. It judged hypersonic missiles unlikely to survive better unless those ballistic missiles met highly effective long-range defenses.
Where things stand in 2026
As of mid-2026, U.S. programs were behind schedule. CRS in July 2026 quoted a Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessment of the Army's Dark Eagle, a ground-launched glide weapon with a reported range of 1,725 miles. GAO said officials did not expect to field the first battery with its missiles until at least the second quarter of fiscal 2026, more than two years late. The second was not expected until the second quarter of fiscal 2027, it said. Fielding of the first battery began at the end of 2025, DefenseScoop reported in July 2026. A joint Army and Navy test launch from Cape Canaveral on March 26, 2026 succeeded, the Defense Department said. For the Air Force's Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile, GAO said planned prototype flight tests had been cut from seven to five. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed a flight test over an Australian range without giving its date, The War Zone reported on October 5, 2026.
Sources
- U.S. Hypersonic Weapons and Alternatives, Congressional Budget Office
- Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress, Congressional Research Service
- The U.S. Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW): Dark Eagle, Congressional Research Service
- GAO: Pentagon's hypersonic programs grappling with schedule constraints, production woes, DefenseScoop
- First Release Of USAF’s New HACM Hypersonic Cruise Missile Has Happened Over Australian Range, The War Zone
