Putin didn’t see that coming

The United Kingdom has carried out a "major" hypersonic missile test as part of a close collaboration with the United States, the British Ministry of Defence revealed.

Hypersonic missiles travel at speeds of Mach 5 — five times the speed of sound — and are capable of striking long-distance targets with incredible speed and precision.

This new missile is seen as a direct rival to Russia’s Kinzhal and Tsirkon missiles, which were unveiled by Vladimir Putin in 2018.

While Moscow has long boasted about its technologically advanced weaponry, experts in the field argue that the Kinzhal is actually a ballistic missile, not a true hypersonic missile.

The British government announced on Sunday that scientists had successfully completed tests on an engine designed for a next-generation hypersonic cruise missile currently under development.

UK Defence Minister John Healey described the tests as "an important milestone in hypersonic system research."