Watch out, Putin! US will have hypersonic missiles in just two years, boasts Pentagon

The US is trying to catch up with Russia and China in the world’s ongoing arms race.

Mark Esper, the country’s defence secretary, in response to a question about how ready the US are in the development of a hypersonice missile, said to Fox News: “I think it’s probably a matter of a couple of years, if you will.”

The US army secretary Ryan D McCarthy revealed Washington has been looking into the possibility of developing all types of rockets that have previously been banned under the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).

On August 2, Washington withdrew from the INF Treaty and as a result Moscow said the Treaty had been terminated.

Since then, Mr Putin has been monitoring the US and the development of intermediate and shorter-range missiles.

Mr McCarthy said: “With respect to the INF ranges in particular, we’re looking at where can we first find opportunities.

“Clearly, hypersonics, if you put a ballistic warhead on a hypersonic missile.”

Russia’s hypersonic weapons are able to travel more than 20,000 miles per hour.

The Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) was announced by the US last week, which is set to be a huge upgrade on the Tomahawk cruise missiles used on Syria last year and could counter Russia’s S-400 systems.

These weapons have the ability to travel to the other side of the world in a matter of minutes.

They can be difficult for countries to track, target and defeat.

READ MORE: WATCH: Putin unveils ‘Hunter’ stealth drone as Russia forges ahead

National security experts have warned the US is behind Russia and China in the development of hypersonics.

The Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was signed by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987.

The treaty banned missiles with ranges between 310 and 3,400 miles and was a contributing factor into stopping the Cold War.

The UN Security expert Renata Dwan has warned the risk of nuclear weapons being used is the highest since World War 2.

source: express.co.uk