The United States has been ramping up spending on hypersonic weapon research over the last decade, with government spending in this area increasing by 740% between 2015 and 2020 (via CNBC). There’s no sign of slowing down, either. The Department of Defense’s (DoD) current 5-year plan includes $13.4 billion for developing hypersonic missiles, and that doesn’t include the cost of actually procuring them. So why the sudden interest?
In short, the U.S. has isn’t on par with competitors, including both China and Russia, where hypersonic weapons are concerned. China has featured hypersonic weapons in military parades, and Russia is believed to have used hypersonic missiles to attack Ukraine. Both North Korea and Iran have also claimed to have hypersonic weapons. Officials within the DoD are intending not only to catch up to the technological capabilities of other countries, but to surpass them in what has quickly become the new arena for an international arms race.
Faster missiles allow for shorter response times to capitalize on a brief opportunity to strike an important target or to launch a counterattack. But there’s much more to the abilities of hypersonic weapons than just speed. What really makes them advantageous is the capability for atmospheric flight. Traditional ICBM’s rocket above Earth’s atmosphere before falling back down onto the target. This makes them predictable. But hypersonic weapons spend a lot more time within the atmosphere, which means they can maneuver on the fly to avoid defensive countermeasures. But how do they do it?
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