WASHINGTON – On Thursday, Nov. 17, the Pentagon reported that it held a successful test flight of a new flying bomb that travels faster than the speed of sound, giving commanders the ability to hit targets anywhere on the globe in less than an hour, AFP reported. 

The bomb was launched by rocket from Hawaii before landing on the Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands, which is about 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. 

The “Advanced Hypersonic Weapon” or AHW glided through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds, exceeding Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound), or 3,728 miles per hour. Unlike a ballistic missile, the AHW’s are maneuverable.

Thursday’s test aimed to gather data on “aerodynamics, navigation, guidance and control, and thermal protection technologies,” said Lieutenant Colonel Melinda Morgan, a Pentagon spokeswoman to AFP. 

The project is part of the “Prompt Global Strike” program which seeks to give the US military the means to deliver conventional weapons anywhere in the world within an hour. On August 11, the Pentagon test flew another hypersonic glider dubbed HTV-2 that failed. 

The AHW’s range is less than that of the HTV-2, the Congressional Research Service said in a report, without providing specifics.

So far, the Pentagon has invested 239.9 million dollars in the Global Strike program this year, including 69 million for the flying bomb tested Thursday, CRS said.