A U.S. Navy program called the Revolutionary Approach to Time-Critical Long-Range Strike (or Rattlrs) aims to build a hypersonic missile demonstrator "with trace-ability to an eventual tactical weapon."

The bad guys can use drones too. While billions have been spent on ballistic missile defense, little attention has been given to the more imminent threat posed by unmanned air vehicles in the hands of terrorists or rogue states.

The authors argue for further research and development into directed energy weapons as a way to counter the threat from MANPADs and cruise missiles.

Addressing a perceived increase in cruise missile threats, the U.S. Army is working to develop new defenses against the weapons by fiscal 2008.

An ?obsession? with ballistic missile defense is partially responsible for insufficient U.S. attention and funding for defense against cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, according to Dennis Gormley of the Monterey Institute's Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

The United States needs to do more to control the spread of technology capable of being used to develop cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to a new U.S. General Accounting Office report.

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The U.S. Navy's Trident submarine fleet is finding a new life as a nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine, or SSGN. They could be used for stealthy strike operations, surfacing only to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles or a squadron of Navy SEALs.

The Defense Department wants to develop a high-speed drone able to launch attacks anywhere in the world within two hours of leaving a U.S. base.

The Pentagon is planning a new generation of weapons, including huge hypersonic drones and bombs dropped from space, that will allow the US to strike its enemies at lightning speed from its own territory.

China launched a third navigation satellite Sunday in a step that could aid in the development of advanced military technologies, such as cruise missile systems.