China uses abandoned NASA design to develop 6,000-mph hypersonic nuclear missile engine: Report

The Chinese military is apparently using an abandoned NASA design to develop a 6,000-mph hypersonic nuclear missile engine. 

A prototype of the engine has been built and tested using a "radical" American design first proposed over 20 years ago as the country competes to outperform the West in a contemporary arms race, according to a report.

The design was presented by Ming Han Tang, a Chinese American and former chief engineer of NASA's hypersonic program.

Tang's Two-Stage Vehicle X-plane is driven by two different engines and can travel faster than five times the speed of sound.