{"id":24777,"date":"2019-08-02T10:00:55","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T10:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/08\/02\/hypersonic-threats-need-an-offense-defense-mix\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:08:08","slug":"hypersonic-threats-need-an-offense-defense-mix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2019\/08\/02\/hypersonic-threats-need-an-offense-defense-mix\/","title":{"rendered":"Hypersonic threats need an offense-defense mix"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Next week, people from across the missile defense community will gather at an annual symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, to consider how to adapt U.S. missile defense efforts to the challenge of renewed competition with Russia and China. A centerpiece of their discussions will be the emergence of advanced hypersonic missile threats<\/a> and what to do about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past few years, the Pentagon has prioritized the development of offensive hypersonic strike weapons, with billions of dollars in contracts already awarded for each of the major military services to acquire hypersonic strike missiles of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The counter-hypersonic mission, however, received surprisingly short shrift in recent defense budgets, with progress on hypersonic defense thus far piecemeal and halting. Some leading military officials charged with procuring hypersonic strike missiles have said that defending against hypersonic missiles is too hard, so we shouldn\u2019t even try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That short-sighted approach is at odds with the vision of newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who stated to Congress that he will advocate hypersonic missile defense, to include the development of new sensors, interceptors, and advanced command-and-control systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public commentary on hypersonic threats has been somewhat hyperbolic. Yes, hypersonics are fast \u2014 five or more times the speed of sound \u2014 but that\u2019s slower than many ballistic missiles. Aerodynamic maneuver makes for a less predictable flight path, but this also means that atmospheric friction would remove the kind of decoys that might accompany a ballistic reentry vehicle. Whether a boosted glide vehicle, a scramjet cruise missile or a maneuverable quasi-ballistic missile, hypersonics pose a complex air defense challenge, but they are not invulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\t