US, Russia, China Entering Hypersonic Arms Race

US, Russia, China Entering Hypersonic Arms Race

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A new arms race is at hand, and it could break everything we think we know of the speed of sound. Hypersonic weapons capable of reaching speeds of some 5,800 km/h will “revolutionize military affairs in the same fashion that stealth did a generation ago and the turbojet engine did a generation before,” according to a study of the US Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Hypersonic weapons could completely rewrite the rules of warfare.

The US Air Force has called for an unprecedented investment in hypersonic weapons that could give the US an incredible advantage over any adversary. These weapons would give the US the capability to strike targets anywhere in the world, even if they are defended by anti-air systems. Hours-long transcontinental flight-times would become mere minutes.

The US, however, is not the only one eyeing up this new technology. The report states that both China and Russia are investing in the technology. Beijing has already conducted tests of its Wu-14 hypersonic strike vehicle, which consists of a rocket that reaches the upper atmosphere to then release a glider that can reach hypersonic speeds upon descent.

Moscow plans to test its own hypersonic weapons by 2020. By 2022, Russia expects to complete upgrades of its nuclear-powered Project 11442 Kirov-class battlecruiser Pyotr Veliky with a new hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile. The new missile, 3M22 Zircon, will be capable of reaching Mach 5 speeds and will be replacing the existing 630km range P-700 Granit supersonic missile currently in use.

The US, despite its much larger defence budget, is looking at similar timeframes for development. The report predicts that an air-launched medium-range hypersonic strike weapon should come into service no sooner than the 2020s. More advanced arms could take many years more to develop.