A missile so quick that enemies are virtually helpless against it. A missile which might even overwhelm defence systems of the United States of America. A missile which flies at more than 5 times the speed of sound. Such dreaded weapons are called hypersonic missiles, and India is likely to build one in the next 5 to 6 years.
This major announcement was made by Atul Rane, CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace, the India-Russia joint venture which makes the highly-effective BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. The BrahMos Aerospace executive said that the company is capable of building hypersonic weapons, and the first one should be ready by 2027-28.
Hypersonic missiles fly at least at Mach 5, i.e. five times the speed of sound. These can be manoeuvred unlike ballistic missiles. There are two types of hypersonic weapons. Hypersonic glide vehicles are launched from rockets before gliding to hit their target. The other type is a hypersonic cruise missile which has an engine. These scramjet engines power hypersonic missiles to their targets at unbelievable speeds.
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Hypersonic weapons have multiple advantages. They provide a long-range strike option to forces, and can be used against protected or time-critical targets. Hypersonic missiles are also undetectable by ground-based radar till late in their flight path. This delay in detection makes interception of the missile difficult. This feature can be used to overcome enemies' missile defence systems.
Hypersonic weapons were recently in news when Russia claimed to have used its Kinzhal missile for the first time in conflict. The Kinzhal, which means 'dagger' in Russia, can reportedly fly at up to ten times the speed of sound, and can carry a 480-kg nuclear payload.
China has also reportedly developed hypersonic weapons. In a test-firing in August 2021, the Chinese hypersonic missile circumnavigated the globe before landing near its target.
USA, Japan, Germany, France, and Australia are also reportedly developing such weapons.