{"id":36802,"date":"2024-01-19T21:31:45","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T21:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2024\/01\/19\/the-us-is-failing-to-quickly-field-hypersonic-missile-defense\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T12:34:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:34:58","slug":"the-us-is-failing-to-quickly-field-hypersonic-missile-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/opinion\/2024\/01\/19\/the-us-is-failing-to-quickly-field-hypersonic-missile-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"The US is failing to quickly field hypersonic missile defense"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Pentagon warned in its annual report<\/a> to Congress last year that China already possesses \u201cthe world\u2019s leading hypersonic arsenal\u201d and is sprinting to field even more advanced offensive capabilities. These weapons would give Beijing a capability to conduct a prompt strike that paralyzes America\u2019s command-and-control and missile-defense capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that the United States is making progress on its own offensive hypersonic weapons<\/a>. The bad news is that American efforts to develop systems that can defend against Chinese hypersonic capabilities are not keeping pace. If Washington does not act quickly to expedite the Pentagon\u2019s fielding of hypersonic missile defense capabilities, deterrence may fail in the Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A hypersonic weapon is a missile that travels at speeds above Mach 5, or greater than 1 mile per second. There are many existing ballistic missile systems that travel at hypersonic speeds, but Chinese hypersonic missiles present an additional challenge. In addition to their high speeds, these systems include hypersonic glide vehicles, which maneuver through the atmosphere after an initial ballistic launch phase. To make matters worse, Beijing is also developing hypersonic cruise missiles that use air-breathing engines such as scramjets to reach high speeds and maneuver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That combination of speed and maneuverability presents a daunting challenge for existing U.S. ballistic and cruise missile defense radars and interceptors, making it difficult to track and destroy the adversary\u2019s incoming glide vehicle or cruise missile. The fact that hypersonic glide vehicles can also operate at unusual altitudes \u2014 well above cruise missiles but below ballistic missiles \u2014 adds an additional layer of complexity.<\/p>\n\n\n\t