Russian defense ministry officials said the country used a new hypersonic missile in an attack on Ukraine.
The Kinzhal missile was used in an attack on a large underground warehouse in southwestern Ukraine, according to a report.
Hypersonic missiles are weapons designed to fly at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5, which is about 3,800 mph (6,100 kph). Their speed and ability to maneuver themselves to a target makes them extremely difficult to track and shoot down. The United States, Russia, China and North Korea have been developing hypersonic weapons, some of which are launched into space, in pursuit of long-range flight and maneuverability.
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The Kinzhal hypersonic missile is an air-to-ground weapon that is carried on Russian fighter jets and has a reported range of over one thousand miles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the country is developing a missile that can travel at Mach 20 and reach targets around the world.
North Korea claims to have tested a missile. In August of last year, China launched a hypersonic missile test on a Long March rocket, while the U.S. military was testing hypersonic technology in a series of small rocket launches.
Hypersonic technology can be used to develop faster jets for air travel.
The world's largest plane built for mid-air rocket launches is being used to build a hypersonic research plane that will fly up to speeds of Mach 6. New hypersonic technologies for use in the government and commercial sectors will be tested at Talon.
The company is working on a plane that can travel at Mach 5 or above. The first full-scale prototype was unveiled in November.
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