Hypersonic weapons - "Gamechanger" that is not in the US - WSJ (photo)

The United States explored hypersonic opportunities in the 1960s, and then described these data in scientific journals. According to the media, these data were used by the Chinese for their own work. In 2021, China launched a hypersonic rocket over the South Chinese Sea. It moved at a speed of 24 thousand km/h. This shocked the United States, but they do not have such weapons at this time. About it reports The Wall Street Journal.

Then, in the summer of 2021, Washington came to the conclusion that Beijing tested hypersonic weapons-it can bypass most air defense systems, run from long distances and reach any point on Earth in less than an hour. China and the Russian Federation are ready to use hypersonic weapons, but the United States still does not have it. However, the United States is now actively investing in creating hypersonic missiles and attracting the private sector to develop.

These costs are part of the restoration of US domination in key military technologies against the backdrop of a new era of the rivalry of the great powers. The problem of the Pentagon in the creation of hypersonic weapons is constantly failure, from unsuccessful flight tests to the absence of a clear and comprehensive plan of weapons. And let Russian weapons not as technological as Chinese and based on Soviet developments, but it also worries government officials.

Ballistic missiles can move at hypersonic speed, but they follow the predictable flight trajectory, which facilitates their interception. Winged rockets, like the American Tomahawk, can maneuver, but most of these missiles are moving more slowly. Hypersonic rockets combine speed with the ability to fly at low altitude and maneuver in flight, which makes them harder to notice them with a radar or satellite. This makes them almost impossible to intercept existing systems.

The US and Japan are already working on their own systems for intercepting hypersonic missiles, but it takes 10 years of development before they arrive. The publication states that Beijing has accelerated his efforts to develop hypersonic weapons. He often used American experiments on public scientific journals. In particular, information about computing hydrodynamics was published, which helps to simulate hypersonic flight.

"In fact, we have taught the world of hypersvushu," said Richard Khallion, an aerospace analyst who has closely monitored hypersonic technologies for more than 50 years. The US also operates on two GACM and Arrw hypersonic weapons programs. The latter, as argued, is stopped due to unsuccessful trials. We will remind, on September 8 in the United States could not launch a hypersonic rocket LHRW - it can delay the adoption.