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The Department of Defense confirmed this week that it has successfully tested the Hypersonic Air Breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) missile, flying a prototype that is said to be “extended time” at more than five times the speed of sound.

The test was conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory, as well as defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Aerojet Rocketdyne. DARPA officials said the missile reached more than 65,000 altitudes and flew more than 300 nautical miles.

The test took place on Capitol Hill and amid growing concerns among private analysts that the United States is lagging behind China and Russia in developing a new class of weapons designed to overcome today’s increasingly sophisticated missile defense systems. Both Beijing and Moscow claimed to have succeeded in the final tests of their respective hypersonic weapons.

This week’s mission is the second such flight in DARPA’s hypersonic missile program. The first, using a different model, was tested in September and achieved hypersonic flight speeds, officials said.

“This Lockheed Martin HAWC flight test successfully demonstrated a second design that will allow our fighters to competitively select the right capabilities to dominate the battlefield,” said Andrew Knoedler, DARPA’s HAWC program manager. “These achievements increase the level of technical maturity to turn HAWC into a record utility.”

Air breathing vehicles use air captured from the atmosphere to achieve continuous operations. The speed and maneuverability of hypersonic missiles allows for rapid attacks while successfully evading defenses. DARPA officials said that even without explosives, their forces could destroy targets on the battlefield.

“We are still analyzing flight test data, but we are confident that we will provide the US Air Force and Navy with excellent options for future missions to diversify the technology available,” said Mr Knoedler.