The Pentagon's next big project is hypersonic scramjet cruise missiles able to evade enemy interceptors

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers fire standard missile 2 (SM-2) .

• DARPA wants hypersonic missiles capable of surviving increasingly sophisticated enemy air defenses
• The new program seeks major gains in range, speed, and survivability
• Russia's Zircon gives Washington an existing hypersonic cruise missile benchmark

The Pentagon is pursuing a new hypersonic cruise missile concept designed to survive increasingly capable enemy air defense networks.