The US Navy and Army tested hypersonic weapon component prototypes on Wednesday, the Pentagon said.
All three tests were successful, it added.
The US Navy has confirmed that it conducted a weapons test with the Army that demonstrated advanced hypersonic technologies and capabilities.
"This test demonstrated advanced hypersonic technologies, capabilities, and prototype systems in a realistic operating environment," the Navy said in a press release. "Three precision sounding rocket launches were conducted containing hypersonic experiments from partners, including CPS, AHPO, the Joint Hypersonic Transition Office, SNL, Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, MITRE, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and several defense contractors."
This comes after US President Joe Biden said this week that he was concerned about China testing a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide weapon. Earlier, the Financial Times reported, citing sources, that China had tested a weapon in August that flew through space and circled the planet before dropping altitude to hit a target, which it missed. Beijing denied the report, saying that it was a routine test of a space vehicle and not a missile.
Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, the White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that Washington had voiced concerns about Chinese hypersonic missile technology via "diplomatic channels".
17 October 2021, 14:33 GMT
This comes as the US continues testing its own hypersonic weapons. In September, the Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency successfully tested an air-breathing hypersonic weapon capable of moving five times faster than the speed of sound. It was the first such test since 2013.