The X-51A WaveRider

After decades amassing an immense arsenal to defeat entire countries, the U.S. military is developing tools to fight isolated conflicts requiring speed and precision. The X-51A WaveRider demonstration project, part of the U.S.'s Prompt Global Strike initiative to attack any spot on the globe within an hour, is a prime example. The WaveRider is hypersonic, traveling 600 miles in 10 minutes. Even more incredible, its nose is designed to take advantage of the train of sonic waves it creates by making them break at the optimal angle.

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