WASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. performed a

second successful test of a reusable hypersonic test vehicle in

March, the Pentagon said on Monday, enabling quicker

development of U.S. hypersonic capabilities.

Unlike single use rockets, the reusable vehicle can be put

back to work quickly and more cheaply, helping the U.S. develop

the next generation of arms that operate at several times the

speed of sound, robbing adversaries of reaction time and evading

traditional defenses.

The first successful test of the Stratolaunch Talon-A

reusable test vehicle in December 2024 was not publicized.

Stratolaunch is an aerospace company based in Mojave,

California.

"In both tests, the Stratolaunch Talon-A hypersonic vehicle

launched from the Roc carrier aircraft, flew over the Pacific

Ocean and achieved speeds greater than Mach 5 before landing at

Vandenberg Space Force Base," the Department of Defense said.

Roc is the aircraft that Stratolaunch uses as its launch

platform. It has a twin fuselage and is currently the world's

largest aircraft.

The Talon-A test vehicle will be used to carry hypersonic

weapons systems during their development. Component makers could

test engines, sensors and communications equipment aboard the

reusable versions of the Talon-A.

The Hadley liquid rocket engine that propelled the Talon-A

was made by startup Ursa Major, the company said in a release.

Hypersonic weapons travel in the upper atmosphere at more

than five times the speed of sound, or about 6,200 km (3,853

miles) per hour.

Arms makers like Lockheed Martin Corp ( LMT ), Northrop

Grumman Corp ( NOC ) and RTX Corp ( RTX ) have all touted their

hypersonic weapons programs.

Defense contractors hope to capitalize on the shift to

hypersonic weapons not only by building them but also by

developing new systems to detect and defend against them.