Hypersonic weapons are capable of changing trajectory mid-flight, making them extremely difficult to intercept.
While fielding sixth-generation technology and platforms is all the buzz as of late, a different type of arms race is simultaneously brewing between the United States and its adversaries. Earlier this month, the U.S. Navy successfully carried out a flight test of a conventional hypersonic missile, marking a major milestone in the service’s ability to launch this kind of sea-based firepower. A hypersonic missile, defined by its capability of traveling at least five times faster than the speed of sound, maybe the most sought-after technology across the globe at the moment. Geopolitical tensions instilled by Russia’s Ukraine invasion, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, violence in the Red Sea, and hostilities in the South China Sea have all the major players striving to field these highly lethal weapons.
Which Nations Possess Hypersonic Capabilities?
Last year, Chinese state-run media outlets claimed that Beijing had developed an AI-enabled hypersonic missile built to counter the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation B-21 “Raider” stealth bomber. Russia has also been ramping up its hypersonic development. Moscow’s MiG-31 fighter has reportedly been used to deploy the nation’s Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile, a next-generation hypersonic weapon first debuted by President Vladimir Putin back in 2018. The Islamic Republic of Iran has also unveiled its self-proclaimed hypersonic “Fattah” hypersonic missile. Although quite a few emerging technologies pose a significant threat to the United States, hypersonic missiles arguably take the cake.
Why Does Everyone Want Hypersonic Weapons?
When considering the Mach-5.0 speed of a hypersonic missile, it can be helpful to compare this to the power of the SR-71 Blackbird. This Cold War-era American-made jet set and retains two world records for its class, one of them being its speed of Mach 3.3. The fastest aircraft to ever take to the skies in history does not even come close to the speed of a hypersonic missile. Additionally, hypersonic weapons are capable of changing trajectory mid-flight, making them extremely difficult for even the most formidable and technically advanced air defense systems to intercept and take down.
While these cutting-edge weapons share similarities to other deadly missiles, hypersonic arms are unique in that they are primarily deployed for precision strikes and can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads. Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) are typically deployed over longer distances and more commonly carry nuclear arms. While cruise missiles can similarly fly at low altitudes like their hypersonic counterparts, their subsonic/supersonic speed limitations make them slower.
As explained by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, hypersonic missiles particularly “promise to revolutionize modern warfare.” If an adversary strikes the continental United States with a hypersonic missile in a first-strike attack, American forces may not receive the warning time necessary to effectively strike back considering the challenge in detecting, locating, and intercepting such a fast and maneuverable weapon. For this reason alone, dedicating resources toward expanding hypersonic missile research and development is paramount to U.S. national security.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
