The unmanned, rocket-launched and manoeuvrable glider will be able to soar through the Earth's atmosphere at speeds of around 3,600 miles per hour or Mach 5.

The Falcon Hypersonic Test Vehicle-2, seen here as an artist's rendition, is being developed by the US military and led to recent testing in Alaska, which was swiftly aborted seconds after launch.

Though still at the experimental stage, it paints an ominious future if the glider were to misfire, get into the wrong hands or be actually used at all.

It's not alone in technological warfare advances in development that challenge the imagination of even the best sci-fi writers.