U.S. Intensifies Work On Hypersonic Weapons For Warships, Planes

Lagging behind Russia in developing hypersonic weapons, the US Navy is rushing to field its first, with installation on a warship starting as soon as late next year, David Sharp reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: Engineering and design work on changes necessary to install the weapon system on three Zumwalt-class destroyers have begun.

The United States is in a race with Russia and China to develop these weapons, which technically cruises at five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) akin to ballistic missiles but are difficult to shoot down because of their maneuverability and their ability to fly low.

Russia has already fired hypersonic missiles against Ukraine, killing civilians and soldiers in the process.

The US weapon would launch like a ballistic missile and would release a hypersonic glide vehicle that would reach speeds seven to eight times faster than the speed of sound before hitting the target. In Maine, General Dynamics subsidiary Bath Iron Works has begun engineering and design work on changes necessary to install the weapon system on three Zumwalt-class destroyers. The work would begin at a yet-to-be-named shipyard sometime in fiscal year that begins in October 2023, the Navy said.

Hypersonic weapons are defined as anything traveling beyond Mach 5, or five times faster than the speed of sound. That's about 3,800 mph (6,100 kph). Intercontinental ballistic missiles far exceed that threshold but travel in a predictable path, making it possible to intercept them.

Existing missile defense systems, including the Navy’s Aegis system, would have trouble intercepting such objects because maneuverability makes their movement unpredictable and speed leaves little time to react.

Russia brags that it has ballistic missiles that can deploy hypersonic glide vehicles as well as a hypersonic cruise missile. However, the US Navy (USN) and US Air Force (USAF) have already developed laser weapons that have successfully destroyed missiles.

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