Hypersonic Weapons Could Transform Warfare. The U.S. Is Behind.

"Machine guns. Fighter jets. Nuclear weapons. When a new facet of military technology gains operational capability, sometimes it changes the rules of the game. Hypersonic weapons—that travel over five times the speed of sound—are difficult to detect and harder to intercept, offer that potential.

The impending promise of hypersonic weapons is so great that Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Dr. Michael Griffin recently explained: “I’m sorry for everybody out there who champions some other high priority, some technical thing; it’s not that I disagree with those. But there has to be a first [priority], and hypersonics is my first.”

This sense of urgency is driven by two key variables: burgeoning capability gaps the American military seeks to close and the very real risk that China and Russia may field this technology in advance of the United States.



From a military perspective the desire to field hypersonic weapons makes sense. First, these weapons travel in excess of 3,600 miles per hour (6 miles per second) and currently, no military possesses a credible defense. Finding, tracking and intercepting something that fast is unprecedented. Given that Russia and China have invested heavily in advanced defensive technologies that now hold most of our traditional forms of power projection at risk, this is a significant advantage—it’s one that would impose major costs upon a defending nation.

Second, hypersonic weapons will allow commanders to close the window between identifying a target and striking it faster than historically possible. Potential future conflict will involve targets deep inside enemy battlespace, some mobile and difficult to find, so speed will provide a significant advantage. Standard flight speeds involve hours of transit time, allowing targets to slip away. Hypersonic weapons reduce hours of flight required for weapons today to minutes tomorrow.


However, America is not alone in recognizing these advantages. Russia and China have long recognized the benefits afforded by hypersonic weapons and have spent considerable time and money advancing their own capabilities. Putin has been testing nuclear-capable hypersonic weapons since 2016. Similarly, China recently tested the experimental “Starry Sky-2” and publicly lauded its ability to travel at Mach 5.5 for 400 seconds..."

at https://www.forbes.com/sites/davedeptula/2018/10/05/faster-than-a-speeding-bullet/#40e574585ca6