US admits falling behind Russia and China in hypersonic weapons
The US Deputy Secretary of Defense is worried that rivals are making great strides in hypersonic missiles, while Washington remains stagnant.
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US X-51A hypersonic glide vehicle. Photo:USAF |
"Hypersonic missiles are being developed by both China and Russia. We are concerned about both countries because they have conducted dozens of tests that we have not,"SputnikSeptember 5 quoted a statement by US Deputy Secretary of Defense Michael Griffin.
Director of the US Missile Defense Agency Sam Greaves also said on September 4 that Washington cannot ignore the fact that Beijing has conducted dozens of hypersonic weapons tests.
The US military has recently accelerated the development of hypersonic weapons to catch up with its rivals. The US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2019 has a provision requiring the Pentagon to accelerate its hypersonic missile defense program and report to Congress within 90 days.
The US Department of Defense in April and August awarded two contracts worth more than $1.4 billion to Lockheed Martin to develop two hypersonic weapon prototypes for the Air Force.
Hypersonic weapons typically have a speed of about 6,175-12,000 km/h, with complex maneuverability while flying, making it impossible for enemy missile defense systems to accurately determine the trajectory to intercept.
