A plane bigger than a football pitch has been spotted carrying a jet capable of firing hypersonic weapons.
The Stratolaunch aircraft, which has a mega 117-metre wingspan, carried a 28-foot-long Talon A hypersonic test aircraft capable of shooting payloads at five times the speed of sound.
The plane took over the Mojave desert in California and flew for five hours and six minutes, reaching altitudes of 7,000 metres.
A test flight proved that it is capable of launching hypersonic aircraft in mid-air and even into outer space, pending further tests.
Dr Zachary Krevor, CEO of space company Stratolaunch, said: “Testing and production are accelerating as we push forward to meet our commitment of providing hypersonic flight test service to our customers next year.
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