A hypersonic missile test by the US Army in Hawaii has failed due to a malfunction during the launch, said Pentagon spokesman Tim Gorman.

Gorman’s statement to Bloomberg read that "An anomaly occurred following ignition of the test asset," adding that the launch was conducted on Wednesday. This is not the first failure on record to test missiles under the Conventional Prompt Strike program. In fact, this is the second unsuccessful attempt by the program which is designed to develop hypersonic weapons installed on Zumwalt destroyers as well as Virginia-class submarines and capable of exceeding the speed of sound five times. 

Previously, due to a booster problem, the first launch attempt in October was unsuccessful. A successful test of the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) hypersonic missile was carried out by the US air force on May 14. The rocket was launched from California's southern shore at a speed that was five times faster than the speed of sound.

Earlier, the US successfully tested a hypersonic missile in mid-March but kept it quiet for two weeks to avoid escalating tensions with Russia as Joe Biden prepared to travel to Europe, CNN reported citing a defense official familiar with the matter.

The Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) was launched from a B-52 bomber off the west coast in the first successful test of the Lockheed Martin version of the system, according to the official.

The missile was accelerated to high speed by a booster engine, after which the air-breathing scramjet engine ignited and propelled the missile at hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 and higher, the official added.

See more: What Are Hypersonic Missiles?