Hypersonic weapons are highly manoeuvrable, fly at relatively low altitudes and their high speed renders regular anti-missiles capabilities obsolete. These qualities make it very difficult to detect and eliminate them. Hypersonic weapons can be cruise missiles powered by engines, or come in a glide vehicle version and be launched via a rocket into the upper atmosphere, from where the missile dives down to the target.<\/p>\n
Last year, the US has confirmed that China had conducted multiple tests of hypersonic weapon systems as part of its effort to advance in space and military technologies. One of the hypersonic glide weapons reportedly flew through low-orbit space and circled the globe before it plunged into the South China Sea. The US said the system fired a missile as it approached its target while travelling at Mach 5.<\/p>\n
Russia and the US have also pursued the development of hypersonic weapons for years, but China is well ahead of its counterparts. The level of technological sophistication in China\u2019s hypersonic weapons repeatedly surprised \u2013 and worried \u2013 US officials. Whereas Russian systems such as the Raduga Kh-101 (RS-AS-23A\u00a0Kodiak) air-launched cruise missile and Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles are already entering or are in service, the US has not yet developed its own equivalent.<\/p>\n
However, some experts say that just because the US is behind Russia and China in fielding such capabilities, it does not necessarily mean the country is lagging behind in the hypersonic arms race. Instead of rushing to develop and field hypersonic weapons with capabilities like the Russian and Chinese ones, the US is focused on fielding new and advanced capabilities.<\/p>\n
Although it is not expected that fully operational hypersonic weapons will enter service with the US military before 2023, this approach could provide Washington with an advantage once that happens.<\/p>\n The US\u2019s response to Russian and Chinese developments<\/strong><\/p>\n In mid-March, the US successfully tested a hypersonic missile. The country kept it secret for two weeks saying it sought to avoid escalating tensions with Russia prior to US President Joe Biden\u2019s travel to Europe. The Lockheed Martin version of the hypersonic air-breathing weapon concept (HAWC) was launched from a Boeing B-52 strategic bomber. The missile reportedly reached at least Mach 5, flew above 65,000 feet and travelled more than 300 miles.<\/p>\n Not long after the test, the US, the UK and Australia announced they would diversify AUKUS, the Indo-Pacific alliance that was launched by the three countries in September to develop nuclear-powered submarines for Australia. One of the main points of broadening is the joint development of advanced hypersonic and counter-hypersonic weapon capabilities. The announcement was a part of the check-in event on the progress of AUKUS.<\/p>\n \u201cWe [are] committed today to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to expand information sharing and to deepen cooperation on defense innovation,\u201d said US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a level statement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe reaffirmed\u00a0our commitment to AUKUS and to\u00a0a free and open Indo-Pacific. In light of Russia\u2019s unprovoked, unjustified, and unlawful invasion of Ukraine,\u00a0we reiterated our\u00a0unwavering commitment to\u00a0an international system\u00a0that respects human rights, the rule of law,\u00a0and\u00a0the peaceful resolution of disputes free from coercion,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n Failing Russian missiles<\/strong><\/p>\n As Russia\u2019s initial military objectives failed in Ukraine, fear is mounting that Russian President Putin will ramp up the use of its hypersonic and long-range missiles that have already caused devastation.<\/p>\n The Raduga Kh-101 proved to be successful during Russia\u2019s intervention in the Syrian civil war, so much so that the Kh-101 became the army\u2019s flagship long-range land-attack cruise missile.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, it is being used in far greater numbers in the war Russia is currently waging on Ukraine, with an apparent failure rate that, if correct, will be of significant concern to Moscow,\u201d International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) senior fellow for military aerospace Douglas Barrie writes in an IISS blog post. \u201cIn the guise of the Raduga Kh-102 (RS-AS-23B\u00a0Kodiak<\/em>), the missile is also the Russian Air Force\u2019s main air-launched nuclear-armed cruise missile.\u201d<\/p>\n Based on a 21 March 2022 US Department of Defense briefing, an official noted that while Russia still possessed more than half of its air-launched cruise missile capability, it has already used many and seen a significant number of failures among them. Offering limited explanation about the nature of the failures, the official said, \u201ceither they\u2019re failing to launch, or they\u2019re failing to hit the target, or they\u2019re failing to explode on contact.\u201d<\/p>\n Hybrid, cyber and the future<\/strong><\/p>\n Russia has also displayed the effectiveness of hypersonic missiles and the devastation they can cause both on military and civilian targets. But, as always, one single piece of equipment will not lead any military to victory. Future wars are likely to be just as hybrid in nature as the current ones, with emphasis shifting towards cyber warfare.<\/p>\n As societies and militaries become ever more connected, cyberattacks on networks that can eliminate command and control architectures will no doubt increase. Commenting on future warfare, the Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari in April told the India-based\u00a0Economic Times<\/em>: \u201cThe spectrum of conflict will be spread across all domains spanning from conventional to sub-conventional, kinetic to non-kinetic and lethal to non-lethal, all under a nuclear overhang.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that weapons that could attack a country could be ranging from computer malware to hypersonic missiles, and there is an urgent need to develop capabilities across the full spectrum of conflict.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Long-range-missile.-Credit.-Shutterstock.-Alexander-Yartsev-1536x869-1.webp\")