May 12 (Reuters) - Leidos Holdings LDOS.N said on Tuesday the U.S. Army has awarded a $2.7 billion contract to the defense contractor to move its hypersonic weapons from prototype development into production.

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

The deal combines Leidos' Thermal Protection Shield program, which provides the technology to protect hypersonic weapons from extreme heat and pressure during flight, with its Common Hypersonic Glide Body (CHGB) program.

The CHGB program makes the body for a long-range hypersonic missile called "Dark Eagle", which the U.S. Army and Navy successfully tested in March.

Integrating these programs will help reduce production timelines and ensure a reliable supply of components to meet operational demands, Leidos said.