India ahead of US in hypersonic missile tech, says American senator amid Russia-Ukraine war

Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, and Moscow's multiple nuclear warnings, a US Senator claimed that America is falling behind India, Russia, and China in hypersonic technologies.

A hypersonic missile flies at at least five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5, and can be manoeuvred, unlike ballistic missiles which follow a prescribed trajectory.

Senator Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee reportedly said on March 23, "We're in a situation where we have technological improvements. We used to dominate technology. That's no longer the case. Hypersonic, clearly, China and India, Russia have advantages on it."

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The comments were reportedly made during the nomination hearing of Dr William LaPlante, to be undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment. In his opening remarks, LaPlante reportedly said, "“China, our pacing threat; an increasingly authoritarian Russia focused on regional hegemony; malign actors; and other existential threats pose grave risks to the global order and threaten our way of life."

Russia recently claimed to have used its Kinzhal hypersonic missile for the first time in Ukraine. It can carry a 480 kg nuclear payload while flying at ten times the speed of sound.

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