Pentagon Will Attempt Hypersonic Missile Shootdown Using US Navy’s SM-6 Missile https://sputniknews.com/military/202104161082650020-pentagon-will-attempt-hypersonic-missile-shootdown-using-us-navys-sm-6-missile/ Russia and China both have multiple hypersonic weapon systems in use or advanced development, while the US has none. The seemingly unstoppable weapons travel faster than Mach 5, or roughly 3,800 miles per hour. A senior Pentagon official told lawmakers on Wednesday that the Missile Defense Agency is preparing a test in which a Standard Missile (SM)-6 will attempt to shoot down a mock hypersonic missile later this year. The ultra-fast weapons are notoriously hard to track and harder to down. Director of Defense Research and Engineering for Research and Technology Barbara McQuiston told a Senate defense committee on Wednesday that the MDA and US Navy had already seen promising signs the advanced SM-6 missile could shoot down “an advanced maneuvering threat-representative target” - a capability they intend to test later this year and continue developing into 2024.