WASHINGTON, December 13. /TASS/. The US military has successfully tested a conventional hypersonic missile in the state of Florida, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The US Army and Navy "recently completed a successful end-to-end flight test of a conventional hypersonic missile from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida," the statement said. It did not specify when exactly the launch took place. The Pentagon said it was the second successful test of its kind this year.

US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro called the Florida launch "an important milestone in the development of one of the most advanced weapons systems" at Washington's disposal.

Pentagon officials have repeatedly acknowledged that the US has fallen behind Russia and China in the production of hypersonic weapons. On July 16, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said that the US would accelerate development and testing of such weapons. He then specified that the Navy and Army had recently completed hypersonic missile tests over the Pacific Ocean.