The US launched a secret hypersonic missile last month

The US announced on Tuesday that it has successfully tested a hypersonic missile after reportedly keeping the launch secret for two weeks to prevent escalating tensions with Russia.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) revealed that the Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) flew more than 300 miles over 65,000 feet while reaching speeds in excess of Mach 5.

The DARPA statement didn’t mention the timing of the test, but CNN reported that it took place while President Biden was preparing to travel to Brussels last month. Biden attended an emergency NATO summit in the Belgian capital before continuing to Poland, where he met with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Ukrainian refugees and US troops.

Last month’s launch marked the second successful test of the HAWC, with the first test occurring in September.

The US, which acted recklessly during the Russian invasion to keep already high tensions between Washington and Moscow in check, also canceled a test of the Minuteman III ICBM last week to avoid misinterpretation by the Kremlin, according to CNN.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin initially postponed the test earlier last month.

The HAWC test was launched to see how the air-breathing scramjet engine would work, and the missile carried no warhead, instead using its kinetic energy to destroy a target, DARPA said.

The US has accelerated its development of hypersonic weapons following successful test firings of similar missiles by China and Russia recently.

Biden confirmed on March 21 that Russia had fired a hypersonic missile over Ukraine, describing it as an act of desperation in the face of fierce opposition from Ukrainian forces who had hampered Russian troop advances in the country.

“The more his back is against the wall, the stricter the tactics he can employ,” Biden warned