US more than doubles hypersonic missile budget to catch up to Russia’s mach 10 missile

The US will increase hypersonic weapon funding by more than double (136 percent increase to $257 million.)

* $139.4 million, Air Force-DARPA collaboration on rocket-propelled hypersonics, Tactical Boost Glide (TBG), which will produce an “operational prototype” by 2023;
* $14.3 million goes to Air-Force work on jet-propelled hypersonics, the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC), which DARPA is hoping the Navy will join.
* $50 million goes to a new joint venture with the Army called Operational Fires (OPFIRES)
* $53 million goes to the Advanced Full Range Engine (AFRE) for future hypersonic vehicles.

Yesterday, Putin claimed that Russia has successfully developed hypersonic weapons. Russia says it has the Mach 10, 1,250-mile-range Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

China’s has a much larger economy than Russia. China has a DF-17 hypersonic boost-glide vehicle in testing and could enter service around 2020. The Vice-Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs says China has pulled ahead of the US on hypersonics. China has two to three times more hypersonic development facilities than the US has.