Quote:Analysts have questioned the alleged capabilities of hypersonic weapons, and recent studies further undermine these claims. This makes one wonder why the US government is still devoting billions of dollars to their development and deployment, thereby taking money from other pressing national needs. For the last several years, research and development on hypersonic weapons has consumed several billion dollars annually, corresponding to about 3 percent of all US defense research and development spending. Cumulatively, the United States has spent over $10 billion so far on hypersonic weapons—a figure likely to grow once these weapons enter full-scale production.