US Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy stated Tuesday that as a result of the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Washington is now looking into developing hypersonic missiles with ballistic warheads.

Axar.az reports citing Sputnik.

McCarthy, speaking on the US' readiness and modernization efforts, made the remarks at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, DC.

The US formally withdrew from the 1987 agreement on August 2, months after the Trump administration had announced its intention to suspend the treaty obligations, over claims that Russia had reportedly tested and deployed banned cruise missiles that exceeded the 500-kilometer range. Having denied the allegations, Russia subsequently withdrew from the treaty.

The Cold War-era treaty signed by the US and Soviet Union limited the development, production and deployment of ground-based missiles that could strike anywhere between ranges of 500 and 5,500 kilometers.

This latest development comes days after news broke, revealing that the US Department of Defense had successfully tested a medium-range cruise missile once barred by the INF Treaty. The launch took place off the coast of California on Sunday.