Air Force Developing Hypersonic Missiles And Bombers

Washington DC - The United States military wants to reach out and touch someone - fast. According to an article in the Dallas Star-Telegram, Air Force researchers are developing bombers and cruise missiles capable of flying Mach 6 or 4,000 miles-per-hour and faster. Faster bombers and missiles could allow pre-emptive on ballistic missiles preparing to launch.

Mark Lewis, the chief scientist for the Air Force, told the Star-Telegarm that the first hypersonic vehicles could be Mach 6 cruise missiles and possible a long range hypersonic aircraft that could fly more than 10,000 miles in two hours. Like the Mach 3+ SR-71 used during the Cold War, such aircraft could flying with impunity over enemy territory while taking pictures or gathering electronic signals.

Latest Videos FromTom's Hardware

Humphrey Cheung was a senior editor at Tom's Hardware, covering a range of topics on computing and consumer electronics. You can find more of his work in many major publications, including CNN and FOX, to name a few.