Hypersonic weapons, characterized by glide vehicles deployed via ballistic missiles or cruise missiles that surpass Mach 5, represent the latest technological battleground where major military powers compete. In this dynamic landscape, the United States and its allies, for once, are playing catch-up, facing the challenge of matching and responding to the advancements made by their adversaries in this critical realm of military technology.
The remarkable speed at which hypersonic weapons move poses a considerable obstacle for the as-yet-unrealized systems tasked with countering them. Furthermore, the deployment of hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) from space introduces a genuinely global strategic threat, amplifying the complexity of the challenge.
Adding to the intricacy, the potential for hypersonic weapons to be equipped with nuclear payloads introduces an additional layer of strategic destabilization. This concern arises particularly because, among the world’s nuclear powers, only China and India have explicitly declared a ‘no first use’ policy, raising questions about the potential consequences and uncertainties associated with the deployment and use of hypersonic weapons on the global stage.
Deployed Threats
In a significant development in May 2022, Russia conducted a test launch of a Zircon missile from the Admiral Gorshkov in the Barents Sea, striking a target approximately 520 nautical miles (630 kilometers) away in the White Sea. This test was widely interpreted as a warning to Sweden and Finland, particularly in the context of their pursuit of NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Zircon missile, known to travel at Mach 9 (around 6,670 miles per hour or 10,700 kilometers per hour), represents Russia’s latest addition to its arsenal of hypersonic/hyper-velocity weapons. Notably, the Avangard system, a long-range Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) deployed via intercontinental ballistic missile, claims a velocity range of Mach 20-27 and possesses the capability to execute evasive maneuvers during flight. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s address in March 2018, the Avangard system had entered serial production after being tested since 2015.
Meanwhile, China has been dedicated to the development of hypersonic weapons for several decades, catching the US defense intelligence community off guard with the apparent extent of Beijing’s advancements in this field.
North Korea asserted its success in multiple Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) tests, particularly noteworthy on January 5 and 11, 2022. The South Korean military verified that the test on January 11 covered a distance of over 378 nautical miles and achieved a velocity of Mach 10.
The defense departments of the United States and Australia have collaborated on a shared hypersonic weapon initiative known as the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE). This missile is intended for deployment by various aircraft, including the Boeing F/A-18E/F, Lockheed Martin F-35A, and the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
