Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: Ben Gurion Airport airspace sut down following missile launch from Yemen
Israeli media: Air raid sirens sound in the central region and Hashfala following the detection of a missile launch from Yemen
SDF announces the killing of three of its members as a result of ISIS cells detonating a landmine targeting a vehicle of a security patrol on the Hasaka-Raqqa road
The Popular Resistance Committees: We call on all international institutions to take urgent action and uphold their responsibilities by restoring and immediately enforcing effective mechanisms for the distribution of humanitarian aid.
The Popular Resistance Committees: The latest Zio-American crime against Gaza’s starving civilians constitutes a war crime, for which the US administration bears full and direct responsibility.
Gaza Media Office: Bloody spectacle shows that these zones have become collective death traps rather than aid distribution zones.
Gaza Media Office: Dozens of citizens are still surrounded under constant fire in the vicinity of the "aid station."
Gaza Media Office: As soon as citizens arrived, occupation and Americans opened direct fire on them.
Gaza Media Office: Occupation, in complicity with the US company, called on citizens to move toward Wadi Gaza Bridge, claiming that aid would be distributed.
Gaza Government Media Office: Occupation set a bloody trap at bridge of Wadi Gaza, luring thousands of starved civilians, and opened fire on them.

US falls behind Russia, China hypersonic race

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: National Interest
  • 1 Jan 2023 16:10
  • 3 Shares
3 Min Read

The National Interest reveals the US military's weakness in the field of hypersonic missiles.

  • x
  • Air-breathing, hypersonic weapons can fly at more than five times the speed of sound and manoeuvre within the atmosphere. Source: Reuters: Raytheon Missiles & Defense/File photo)
    Air-breathing, hypersonic weapons can fly at more than five times the speed of sound and maneuver within the atmosphere. (Reuters)

The National Interest highlighted yesterday the weakness of the US in developing offensive hypersonic weapons, as well as in confronting them.

According to the outlet, the United States urgently needs to develop and deploy both offensive and defensive hypersonic weapons capabilities, because it is falling behind as China and Russia have both tested and deployed hypersonic missiles, while the United States is conducting its first successful hypersonic missile test in December 2022.

However, the US has not deployed any hypersonic weapons to date, and the existing US missile defense systems are not yet capable of shooting down adversaries' hypersonic weapons, leaving the US highly vulnerable at this time, NI wrote.

It is noteworthy that Washington conducted three “failed” hypersonic missile tests in 2021, according to the “Defense News” website.

Read next: US hypersonic missile test fails in Hawaii

What are hypersonic weapons?

Hypersonic weapons are missiles or projectiles that travel at hypersonic speeds and are frequently highly maneuverable. 

Related News

‘Israel’ lost 'international legitimacy' for Gaza war: Israeli media

Challenges undermine Gulf States’ ambitions in AI development: FT

For decades, traditional ballistic missiles have been faster than the speed of sound, leaving the Earth's atmosphere before returning, plummeting at terrifying speeds toward their targets in their terminal phase.

The recent years have witnessed an intense arms race to get hypersonic missiles, and with #NorthKorea joining the race, here's what you need to know about the air-breathing hypersonic weapon. pic.twitter.com/0jbXx5qP98

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 5, 2021

Traditional ballistic missiles, on the other hand, are not maneuverable and have a predictable arc, making them easier to track and, ultimately, shoot down.

Hypersonic weapons are game changers; they come in two varieties, travel at Mach 5 or higher (3800 miles per hour+), and can maneuver, making them extremely difficult to shoot down and impossible to protect their targets from.

America vs. Russia and China

Russia and China have been developing and testing hypersonic missile technologies for some time. Russia has deployed them in both air-launch (Kinzhal) and sea-launch (Zircon) forms, according to The National Interest. 

China has also tested hypersonic cruise missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles. In 2021, China conducted a test of an HGV that circumnavigated the Earth before reaching its target. It developed next-generation hypersonic weapons with technical breakthroughs, namely in infrared homing tech, Chinese scientists said, which the US army may not possess until 2025.

Read next: US, UK working on defense against Russian, Chinese hypersonic missiles

As a result, US strategists and policymakers have been somewhat sanguine about the challenge posed to the US by technologies such as hypersonic weapons. 

Given hypersonic weapons’ potential ability to make Washington’s missile defense systems redundant, the United States has lately realized that it too must field offensive hypersonic weapons, lest it is left vulnerable.

  • United States
  • Hypersonic missiles
  • Hypersonic Tonic
  • New Year
  • Russia
  • China

Most Read

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington (AP)

Rift widens: Trump, Netanyahu clash in heated phone call over Iran

  • Politics
  • 26 May 2025
US judges quietly consider private security amid Trump tensions

US judges quietly consider private security amid Trump pressures

  • US & Canada
  • 25 May 2025
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP)

Hamas rejects Witkoff ceasefire plan, says alters terms

  • Politics
  • 29 May 2025
Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announces a new operation against Ben Gurion Airport on May 29, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemen announces successful hypersonic missile strike on Ben Gurion

  • Politics
  • 30 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
MIT bans class president who gave pro-Palestine speech
US & Canada

MIT bans class president over pro-Palestine speech

Arab ministers condemn Israel 'ban' on planned West Bank visit
Politics

Arab ministers condemn Israeli ban on planned West Bank visit

Major General Hu Gangfeng, Vice President, National Defense University, People's Liberation Army, China, leaves after a panel discussion during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Politics

China blasts Hegseth, calls US top 'troublemaker' in Asia-Pacific

US activists demand shutdown of Musk's 'dirty' supercomputer: Reports
Technology

US activists demand shutdown of Musk's 'dirty' supercomputer: NBC News

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS