Autoridades de Rusia afirmaron haber lanzado un Misil Hipers\u00f3nico KINZHAL desde una aeronave, para destruir un dep\u00f3sito de misiles de Ucrania. De ser cierto, constituye el primer empleo de un Arma Hipers\u00f3nica en combate, pese a que desde hace a\u00f1os, varios pa\u00edses como EUA, China, India y otros, disponen de programas espec\u00edficos en el \u00e1rea de vuelo en r\u00e9gimen Hipers\u00f3nico, Ello ha generado una verdadera carrera por dominar estas tecnolog\u00edas y por otra parte, el hecho de que estas armas pueden portar cabezas de guerra convencionales pero tambi\u00e9n Nucleares, las convierte en sistemas potencialmente desestabilizadores a nivel global. Existe preocupaci\u00f3n adem\u00e1s, respecto de la posibilidad de proliferaci\u00f3n en terceros pa\u00edses, debido a que no existen a\u00fan regulaciones ni esfuerzos multilaterales, que prevean el control y limitaciones de empleo de estos sistemas verdaderamente disruptivos.<\/p>\n
Nearly four years ago, Russia\u00a0brandished<\/a>\u00a0one of its newest armaments during a Victory Day parade in Moscow \u2013 a hypersonic missile fastened to a fighter jet and\u00a0described<\/a>\u00a0as a \u201cdoomsday super weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n About four days ago, Russia\u00a0reportedly<\/a>\u00a0made the first use of a hypersonic weapon in combat during an attack in western Ukraine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n They\u2019ve been a source of growing anxiety and a secretive arms race for years. Yet, there haven\u2019t been any broad, multilateral efforts made to limit the spread of hypersonic weapons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n They can fly\u00a0faster<\/a>\u00a0than five times the speed of sound, but that isn\u2019t their only distinctly dangerous quality. They\u2019re\u00a0maneuverable<\/a>, could be used to modernize nuclear arsenals, and may eventually be released\u00a0from space<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0ways<\/a>\u00a0that evade missile-defense systems. US systems facing north in anticipation of an attack, for example, may now suddenly be useless against missiles approaching from\u00a0the south<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Some experts have\u00a0dismissed<\/a>\u00a0the strategic value of Russia\u2019s hypersonic weapons used in Ukraine. Others\u00a0downplay<\/a>\u00a0the technology more generally. But most seem to agree that the escalating pursuit of its development presents a real risk. \u201cThere is probably less than a decade available to substantially hinder the potential proliferation of hypersonic missiles,\u201d the RAND Corporation\u00a0warned<\/a>\u00a0us. That was about five years ago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0published by the UN in 2019 suggested an outright ban, or restricting hypersonic weapons systems to countries that already have them.<\/p>\n In addition to Russia, countries\u00a0believed<\/a>\u00a0to have hypersonic weapons programmes include the US, China, Australia, India, France, Germany, and Japan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Some or all of these countries have been parties to global efforts to govern the use of nuclear weapons over the years, ranging from the\u00a0Antarctic Treaty<\/a>\u00a0to the\u00a0Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons<\/a>. Collectively, these have spurred healthy engagement and led to the\u00a0destruction<\/a>\u00a0of large numbers of arms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n An issue likely to outlast the fighting in Ukraine<\/b><\/p>\n However, there are\u00a0fewer<\/a>\u00a0nuclear arms treaties in effect \u2013 so, fewer that could be\u00a0expanded<\/a>\u00a0to address hypersonic weapons. None of the countries thought to have hypersonic weapons programmes have signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that entered into force\u00a0last year<\/a>, including the\u00a0only country<\/a>\u00a0to ever experience the trauma of nuclear weapons firsthand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The US decision to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 has actually been\u00a0cited<\/a>\u00a0as motivation for Russia to push forward with a hypersonic weapons programme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n New START, the\u00a0only remaining<\/a>\u00a0nuclear arms-control agreement between the US and Russia, only indirectly addresses hypersonic weapons \u2013 which has\u00a0been described<\/a>\u00a0as \u201cbetter than nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Now, Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine and growing isolation may be\u00a0catastrophic<\/a>\u00a0for global arms-control efforts generally.<\/p>\n The broader context for the development of hypersonic weapons is a notable increase in overall global military spending. According to\u00a0one measure<\/a>, spending rose in 2020 by its sharpest annual rate since the financial crisis, even as global GDP contracted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Another\u00a0analysis<\/a>\u00a0found that spending edged even higher in 2021, at least in nominal terms (surging inflation resulted in a decline in real terms). It noted that hypersonic \u201cboost-glide\u201d vehicles that can cover long distances in unpredictable ways are often conflated with hypersonic cruise missiles, though both present challenges for missile defenses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In the US, the Navy\u00a0requested<\/a>\u00a0$1.4 billion for fiscal 2022, an amount larger than\u00a0some<\/a>\u00a0countries\u2019 annual GDP, for its\u00a0Conventional Prompt Strike<\/a>\u00a0hypersonic weapon system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The hypersonic arms race will likely outlast the fighting in Ukraine, and may draw\u00a0more countries<\/a>\u00a0into a costly and unnerving game of one-upmanship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a consequential weapon,\u201d US President Joe Biden\u00a0said recently<\/a>\u00a0of the hypersonic missiles apparently used by Russia. \u201cIt\u2019s almost impossible to stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n More reading on hypersonic weapons<\/b><\/p>\n For more context, here are links to further reading from\u00a0the World Economic Forum’s Strategic Intelligence platform<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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