Article Posted on : - Nov 23, 2011

An artist's concept of the advanced hypersonic weapon (AHW) developed by the US.

MOSCOW (BNS): Days after the US tested an advanced hypersonic weapon (AHW), Russia on Tuesday said its new air defence system will be capable of intercepting such weapons.

"The integration of (aerospace defense) systems will make it possible to intercept any targets at any speed, including hypersonic ones," Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said.

The new system, comprising of air defence, missile defence, missile early warning attack and space control systems, would be operational by December 1, the minister was quoted as saying by Ria Novosti.

The US Army last week successfully conducted the first test of the new hypersonic weapon which has been designed to fly within the Earth's atmosphere at hypersonic speed and long range.

The AHW is part of the military's programme to develop "prompt global strike" weapons that would allow the US to strike targets anywhere in the world with conventional weapons in as little as an hour.