In this handout image released by the US Navy, a hypersonic missile launches from Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii, on March 19, 2020. (OSCAR SOSA / US NAVY / AFP)

WASHINGTON - The US Air Force said on Monday it had conducted a successful test of a hypersonic weapon, which flew at five times the speed of sound.

The test was conducted on Saturday off the coast of Southern California when a B-52 bomber released an Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), the Air Force said in a statement.

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"Following separation from the aircraft, the ARRW's booster ignited and burned for expected duration, achieving hypersonic speeds five times greater than the speed of sound," it said.

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The United States is not alone in developing hypersonic weapons, whose speed and maneuverability make them difficult to track and intercept.