Now - in contrast - as a result of statements from Marillyn Hewson at a LockMart media day - here is a
much more thoughtful story on the state of the art in hypersonics.
Note the aggressive timeline and the words "...we are now producing..."
In other words, they're actually building it.
EDIT
here is a more detailed piece noting the SR-72 is expected to be F-22 sized with a demonstrator flying as early as next year.