FILE PHOTO: Attendees walk over branding for Lockheed Martin at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 22, 2024. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

Dec 3 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin said on Wednesday it has opened a hypersonics system integration lab at its Huntsville campus as it pushes to develop next-generation weapons.

Hypersonic weapons, which can travel at more than five times the speed of sound and evade traditional defenses, are at the centre of an arms race between the United States and China.

Lockheed's 17,000-square-foot facility will include advanced test equipment, simulation tools and an integration environment.

It is part of a larger capital program that now totals roughly $529 million and includes 719,000 square feet of facilities under construction or planned, the company said.

"Hypersonic weapons are reshaping the future of military defense by delivering unmatched speed and maneuverability that outpace traditional threats," said Holly Molmer, program management director for Lockheed Martin

In October, defense start-up Castelion said it won contracts to integrate its Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon with current U.S. Army systems.

(Reporting by Aishwarya Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)