The United States is falling behind in the race to develop hypersonic weapons, experts have warned.

In the last month alone, both China and Russia claimed they’ve test fired high-speed missiles that could destroy targets hundreds of miles away.

And according to a new study from the Air Force, the ‘relatively leisurely pace’ of US hypersonic developments leaves the country vulnerable to such attacks.

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Experts for the Air Force Studies Board at the National Academies of Science concluded that the US may face a threat from this ‘new class of weapons.’ This graphic from the report shows operational flight information for high-speed maneuvering weapons

THE HYPERSONIC RACE Russia, China and the US are all racing to develop hypersonic craft, which experts say could revolutionise travel - and war. Russia is believed to have recently tested its 'Object 4202' hypersonic rocket, and the Us Air Firce has tested its 'WaveRider' hypersonic craft. And, Chinese J-16 strike fighter test-fired the giant missile earlier this month, successfully destroying the target drone at a very long range. Advertisement

Hypersonic missiles move at more than five times the speed of sound and can evade detection and defensive tactics with frequent manoeuvres and by travelling along the edge of Earth’s atmosphere.

In the new report, produced by experts for the Air Force Studies Board at the National Academies of Science, the committee concluded that the US may face a threat from this ‘new class of weapons,’ according to the the Washington Free Beacon

‘The People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation are already flight-testing high-speed manoeuvring weapons (HSMWs) that may endanger both forward-deployed US forces and even the continental United States itself,’ an executive summary of the report explains.

‘These weapons appear to operate in regimes of speed and altitude, with maneuverability that could frustrate existing missile defense constructs and weapon capabilities.’

Mark J. Lewis, chairman of the Committee on Future Air Force Needs for Defense Against High-Speed Weapon Systems writes that the US needs both offensive and defensive capabilities, as these are ‘two sides of the same coin.’

Citing the Cold War as an example, Lewis explains that ‘the only reliable deterrent to the use of a hypersonic weapon may in fact be the threat of a corresponding hypersonic countermeasure that might hold at risk the very sites from which the adversaries’ hypersonic strike would originate.’

The report calls for timely investment in hypersonic weapons as powers like China and Russia continue to advance in their capabilities.

According to Free Beacon, it’s the first US military study to raise alarms about the quietly developing race.

In November 2016, a Chinese J-16 strike fighter test-fired the giant missile, successfully destroying the target drone at a very long range, according to Popular Science.

China has become the latest country to successfully test fire a hypersonic missile, it has been claimed.

A Chinese J-16 strike fighter test-fired the giant missile earlier this month, successfully destroying the target drone at a very long range, according to Popular Science.

Its experts analysed pictured of the launch, and concluded the missile was 19 feet long, and roughly 13 inches in diameter, meaning it could hit targets up to 300 miles away.

'This is a big deal,' wrote Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer.

'This missile would easily outrange any American (or other NATO) air-to-air missile.'

The size of the missile would put into the category of a very long range air to air missile (VLRAAM) with ranges exceeding 300 km (roughly 186 miles), likely max out between 250 and 310 miles

HOW CHINA'S HYPERSONIC MISSILE COULD WORK A 2015 study in a Chinese scientific journal revealed the missile's potential flightpath. It showed a VLRAAM, flying 15 km upward once it is released by a fighter jet, reaching a 30 km altitude. A 2015 study in a Chinese scientific journal revealed the missile's potential flightpath. Then, it is is guided by a combination of long range radars and satellite navigation, before divebombing at hypersonic speeds onto enemy aircraft, including stealth fighters, stealth bombers and AEWC aircraft. Advertisement

The pair analysed photos of a J16 taking off with two of the very long range air to air missile (VLRAAM)

'Reports are that the size would put into the category of a very long range air to air missile (VLRAAM) with ranges exceeding 300 km (roughly 186 miles), likely max out between 250 and 310 miles.'

'Additionally, the VLRAAM's powerful rocket engine will push it to Mach 6 speeds, which will increase the no escape zone (NEZ), that is the area where a target cannot outrun the missile, against even supersonic targets like stealth fighters,' they said.

The new missile also has a radically updated radar system, and an infrared/electro-optical seeker (visible under the yellow-orange cover on the forward section above the nosecone), and satellite navigation system.

Once close it its target, lateral thrusters boost its manoeuvrability.

THE US AIRFORCE WANTS HYPERSONICS MISSILES IN JUST FOUR YEARS Air Force bosses revealed hope to have hypersonic missiles capable of crossing countries in minutes within four years. 'Our goal is to make sure the Air Force has the knowledge in 2020 or over the next five years to be able to make acquisition decisions using this technology,' Kenneth Davidson, manager of the hypersonic materials development at the Air Force Research Laboratory told Military.com Carrying a small, conventional warhead, a hypersonic weapon could be used as a stand-off missile, so the military could strike targets at a safe distance without putting pilots and aircraft at risk. 'You could then attack defensive targets, those heavily defended or the time-critical targets in a very timely manner -- if it's a moving target, before it can move,' Davidson said. Experimental unmanned aircraft developed for the U.S. Air Force have already gone hypersonic during tests off the Southern California coast, flying at more than five times the speed of sound. Experimental unmanned aircraft developed for the U.S. Air Force have already gone hypersonic during tests off the Southern California coast, flying at more than five times the speed of sound. The Air Force said last year that the X-51A WaveRider flew for more than three minutes under power from its exotic scramjet engine and hit a speed of Mach 5.1. The Advanced Hypersonic Weapon is part of a program to create a missile that will destroy targets anywhere on Earth within hours - travelling at speeds in excess of 3,500 miles-an-hour or Mach 5. It is being created alongside other demonstration projects being developed by DARPA, including the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept and the Tactical Boost Glide, both of which have test flights scheduled for 2018 or 2019. The same technology could also revolutionise air travel - although military bosses have their own goal. 'We are the Air Force. What do we want to do with this technology? We want to weaponize it,' Ryan Helbach, an official with the Air Force Research Laboratory, said. 'The follow-on program to this is the High Speed Strike Weapon effort. It's taking a lot of the lessons learned and the technology and moving to a weapons acquisition.' Advertisement

A 2015 study in a Chinese scientific journal revealed the missile's potential flightpath.

It showed a VLRAAM, flying 15 km upward once it is released by a fighter jet, reaching a 30 km altitude.

Then, it is is guided by a combination of long range radars and satellite navigation, before divebombing at hypersonic speeds onto enemy aircraft, including stealth fighters, stealth bombers and AEWC aircraft.

The test flight comes just weeks after Vladimir Putin has launched a supersonic missile that could reach the UK in 13 minutes, according to Russian missile experts.

The Object 4202 rocket was fired thousands of miles from the Yasny Launch Base in Russia to the far-east peninsula of Kamchatka with Kremlin officials calling the test a 'success'.

Russia unveiled chilling pictures of its largest ever nuclear missile, capable of destroying an area the size of France last month. A contract for the weapons was signed in 2011, and they are expected to be ready in 2018

It is all but invisible to US anti-missile systems and moves at such high speeds it is virtually impossible to intercept.

Boasting about their new weapon, Russia's Tactical Missiles Corporation claimed it would make the Hiroshima nuclear bombs look like 'popguns'.

It could reach the west coast of the United States in 12 minutes.

The super weapon is being designed to sit atop Russia's largest ever nuclear missile, dubbed 'Satan 2' by NATO.

The RS-28 Sarmat missile - which was unveiled last month - has a top speed of 4.3 miles (7km) per second and has been designed to outfox anti-missile shield systems.

RUSSIA'S 'SUPER NUKE' Russia has unveiled chilling pictures of its largest ever nuclear missile, capable of destroying an area the size of France. The RS-28 Sarmat missile, dubbed Satan 2 by Nato, has a top speed of 4.3 miles (7km) per second and has been designed to outfox anti-missile shield systems. Each missile contains 16 nuclear warheads, according to pictures revealed online from the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau. It is also able to evade radar. The new Sarmat missile could deliver warheads of 40 megatons - 2,000 times as powerful as the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Satan 2 super-nuke that is capable of wiping out England and Wales and 2,000 times as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb Advertisement

The new Sarmat missile could deliver warheads of 40 megatons - 2,000 times as powerful as the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

The Russian President is reportedly planning to replace the country's older SS-18 Satan weapons with the new missiles amid a string of recent disagreements with the West.

The pictures were revealed online by chief designers from the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau.

A message posted alongside the picture said: 'In accordance with the Decree of the Russian Government 'On the State Defense Order for 2010 and the planning period 2012-2013', the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau was instructed to start design and development work on the Sarmat. '

Earlier this year, a Yars RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile system was paraded through Red Square during the Victory Day parade but there was no sign of the RS-28 Sarmat

COULD RUSSIAN LAUNCH NUCLEAR ATTACK FROM SPACE? Russia is readying itself to become a leader in the construction of hypersonic aircraft, a new report reveals. Kremlin-backed media claim engineers in the Federation are among the first in the world to work towards new materials for planes capable of reaching hypersonic speeds. The move could help Russia produce a new fleet of aerial war machines that could launch nuclear attacks from space. If a Sarmat missile were fired at London it would wipe out most of Britain, as well as northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands Aviation researchers are reportedly working to develop the materials which can withstand the stress and high temperatures of travelling many times the speed of sound. Advertisement

The RS-28 Sarmat missile is said to contain 16 nuclear warheads and is capable of destroying an area the size of France or Texas, according to Russian news network Zvezda, which is owned by Russia's ministry of defence.

The weapon is also able to evade radar.

It is expected to have a range of 6,213 miles (10,000 km), which would allow Moscow to attack London and other European cities as well as reaching cities on America's west and east coasts.

Igor Sutyagin, an expert in Russian nuclear capability at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told MailOnline: 'The SS-18 is more than 30 years old. It is past its sell-by date.

'So even if you had the warmest relations in the world with Nato you would want to update your missiles.

'But (President) Putin of course is happy for it to be portrayed as an aggressive move. He wants to stress his unpredictability and his importance.'

RACE FOR HYPERSONIC TRAVEL - AND WEAPONS China's test flight comes just weeks after Russia launched a supersonic missile that could reach the UK in 13 minutes, according to Russian missile experts. The Object 4202 rocket was fired thousands of miles from the Yasny Launch Base in Russia to the far-east peninsula of Kamchatka with Kremlin officials calling the test a 'success'. It is all but invisible to US anti-missile systems and moves at such high speeds it is virtually impossible to intercept. Boasting about their new weapon, Russia's Tactical Missiles Corporation claimed it would make the Hiroshima nuclear bombs look like 'popguns'. Scramjets have been under development for decades, but a breakthrough came in May 2013 when the US Air Force Research Laboratory's Boeing X-51A WaveRider flew for 240 seconds over the Pacific. It flew on scramjet power, reaching Mach 5.1 and ran until its fuel was exhausted. Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works - builder of the Mach 3.5 SR-71 Blackbird spyplane - then unveiled plans to develop a successor, dubbed the SR-72, pictured. Designed for reconnaissance and strike missions, the SR-72 would combine turbojet and scramjet engines to enable the aircraft to take off from a runway, accelerate to a Mach 6 cruise, and then return to a conventional runway landing. Lockheed Martin believes a prototype could be flying as soon as 2023 and the SR-72 could enter service by 2030. Advertisement

Dr Sutyagin points out that the SS-18 missiles which the Russians currently rely on were designed in 1988 during the Soviet Union and were built at a factory in Dnipropetrovsk, in what is now the Ukraine.

He said the Russians cannot totally rely on the Ukraine-based maintenance engineers and he said Sarmat were designed and built by Russians at the Khrunichev plant just outside Moscow.

Dr Sutyagin said they would be no match for Nato systems like Aegis Ashore, the controversial missile defence shield which the US is deploying to Romania.

He said: 'Not only are they too fast but they have got rid of the predictable flight path.

A Russian intercontinental ballistic missile RS-20 (SS-18 Satan according to the NATO code) takes off somewhere at undisclosed location in Russia in this June, 2001 photo

Fat Boy, the atom bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945 (pictured), delivered 20 kilotons of power. Sarmat would be 2,000 times more powerful

'It manouevres all the way so it is terribly difficult for any missile defence system to shoot it down.'

The Russian Defence Ministry plans to put the Sarmat into service in late 2018 and remove the last SS-18 by 2020.

Tensions between Russian and the West are at breaking point with Theresa May attacking Putin for 'undermining the West's efforts' to tackle the Syria crisis.

Russia has welcomed the election of controversial Donald Trump as president and Putin and 'The Donald' are set for talks on crucial issues such as ISIS, the Ukraine issue and the global terror threat.