The US Air Force has delayed its hypersonic missile program by about a year after recent flight test anomalies pushed back the weapon's completion schedule, CNN reported.

The AGM-183 Airborne Rapid Reaction Weapon (ARRW) had to go through early combat readiness, a milestone in weapons testing and development, before October. But after a series of setbacks during flight tests last year, the Air Force has postponed the first tests of the rocket and launch vehicle to the next fiscal year, which begins in October. According to the Air Force, additional tests will be carried out at the end of the year.

Military units are developing various hypersonic systems, exploring different capabilities and needs.

The Navy is developing its A system, which uses a hypersonic glide vehicle in conjunction with the Army's long-range hypersonic weapons. The Air Force is testing both the ARRW and the Hypersonic Attack cruise missile while working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) system.

According to the Air Force, the ARRW missile, created by Lockheed Martin, is designed to destroy valuable and urgent targets. It is also assumed that it will allow the military to quickly hit a well-defended target on land.