Russia’s defense ministry said the country has fielded its first hypersonic nuclear-capable missiles, Reuters reported Saturday.

Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defense minister, informed President Vladimir Putin of the deployment of the Avangard system, which has a hypersonic glide vehicle sitting on top of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Putin said Avangard could penetrate current and future missile defense platforms. He previously said the country’s new nuclear weapons can evade a U.S.-made missile shield and zero in on any target in the world.

The Department of Defense said in a statement it “will not characterize the Russian claims” about the hypersonic weapon’s capabilities. A Congressional Research Service report issued in July says the U.S. has been working on hypersonic weapons since the early 2000s.

Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Office of Scientific Research and Carnegie Mellon University have partnered to launch a center of excellence that focuses on materials sciences.

CMU will host the center under a multi-million-dollar agreement with the U.S. Air Force in support of academic research and development, Wright-Patterson AF Base said Monday.

Students working for doctorates will use artificial intelligence applications to create new materials and further build on existing ones. The center will support such projects.

“Student researchers will spend their summers onsite at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and AFRL scientists will, in turn, spend time at CMU throughout the academic year,” said Sean Donegan, project manager at AFRL.

The CoE will also consist of experts in machine learning and computer science, fields that would serve as mediums for the research.

AFRL and a separate panel of advisers will conduct yearly reviews on the CoE’s work to track progress.

The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking public input on a proposed rule to mandate remote identification for unmanned aerial systems seeking airspace authorizations.

FAA said Thursday the rule covers drones that weigh more than 0.55 pounds as well as operators of foreign civil UAS. The policy will not apply to recreational drones or small UAS that fall below the designated weight class.

The agency noted that the rule will support the development of policies for more complex UAS operations such as beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights. The rule will also help FAA in its efforts to establish an air traffic management system for UAS.

FAA’s previously launched efforts to safely integrate small UAS into the national airspace and automate the authorization process for UAS operators.

Elaine Chao, secretary of the Department of Transportation, said remote ID technologies can help “enhance safety and security” by allowing the FAA as well as federal and other law enforcement authorities to identify drones flying within their jurisdiction.

There are currently 1.5 million drones and around 160,000 pilots registered with the FAA, according to the agency.

The 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron and the 40th Flight Test Squadron tested laser-guided rocket systems through F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft units during a demonstration on Dec. 19.

The aircraft units utilized AGR-20A Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems to destroy a subscale drone at low altitude, the U.S. Air Force said Thursday.

Efforts under the demonstration are intended to deliver a proof of concept for the deployment of rockets on F-16 aircraft units in cruise missile defense missions.

“This proof of concept can have implications for homeland defense missions, combined defense of the Arabian Gulf and beyond,” said Col. Ryan Messer, commander at the 53rd Wing.

The AGR-20A is a mid-body guidance system that works to equip unguided missiles with laser-guided capacities. The platform was initially built to function as a low collateral damage-to-air weapon in support of missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.