Seth Cropsey for RealClear Defense:
At the beginning of this year, North Korea claimed to have tested a hypersonic weapon. While doubts remain about the program’s technical maturity, the North Korean test fits a broader trend: hypersonics are no longer emerging technologies, but a key element of modern military arsenals. Their complexity and cost, alongside the potential for diffusion between American adversaries, necessitates a focus on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics in U.S. defense procurement. The Pentagon ought to recognize that investments today are critical, not simply to field a small number of nascent hypersonics, but to build the foundation for a long-term U.S. hypersonic weapons program.
In technical terms, hypersonic weapons travel faster than Mach 5. To be sure, all intercontinental ballistic missiles break this threshold. However, they travel on a predictable trajectory, reducing the difficulty of interception. What makes modern hypersonics different is their speed and maneuverability. Whether a glide vehicle mounted on a ballistic missile or as an advanced cruise missile, a modern hypersonic accelerates at extremely high speed towards its target and follows an unpredictable flight trajectory. Modern missile interception technology is extremely advanced, but when fractions of a second determine the difference between an interception and a strike, a missile that can quickly change its flight path and elevation becomes a serious threat.
Read more at RealClear Defense.
