Hypersonic missile: what is it?

One missile hypersonic, it is a weapon designed to fly and reach its target at a speed greater than about five times the speed of sound. Specialists speak of a speed greater than Mach 5, a speed greater than 6,100 km/h. For the physicists who study aerodynamics, indeed, a hypersonic speed corresponds to a speed much higher than that of sound. Highly supersonic speed. From which certain phenomena become preponderant. Kinetic heating, for example, which can bring the device to temperatures of the order of 1,000°C.

Note that there are, strictly speaking, two types of hypersonic weapons today. Hypersonic cruise missiles work on the same principle as their subsonic cousins. Those called the gliders hypersonic ones are launched to the outside of theatmosphere by a ballistic missile — or even by a space launcher — then released to enter the upper atmosphere and hover to their target. All while following the curvature of the Earth. Both can indifferently carry a conventional charge, but also a nuclear charge.

Hypersonic missiles difficult to intercept

Hypersonic missiles come with two or even three big advantages — or disadvantages, depending on which side you’re on. Their range is potentially greater than that of conventional missiles. We are talking about at least 1,000 kilometers, but it could go up to 3,000 kilometers. Hypersonic missiles can, moreover, be maneuvered over almost their entire flight. A way to ensure accuracy. But also, to offer those who launch them the possibility of modifying their trajectory and even their target. Add to that that hypersonic missiles are, by definition, extremely fast. And here you are with weapons that are very difficult to detect. And even more difficult to intercept.

Research and development work on this type of weapon was launched during the Cold War. France is developing a hypersonic missile with which it intends to equip its strategic forces by 2035. But at the beginning of 2022, only four countries had announced that they had developed hypersonic missiles: the United States – whose tests do not seem conclusive, however – , China, North Korea – caution remains in order regarding this announcement dated January 2022 – and Russia. The latter would have, for the very first time, used it in combat on March 18, 2022 to attack an arms warehouse in the city of Delyatin, Ukraine. The hypersonic missile called Kinjal — for ” dagger “in Russian — took advantage of its high speed to destroy a hard-to-hit target with more conventional missiles.