Is the U.S. Military Ready for a Hypersonic Weapons War?

Summary

Hypersonic weapons travel more than five times the speed of sound, reducing the time taken to cover thousands of miles to a target. The unrivalled advantage of this technology also has a disadvantage. How do you defend against a hypersonic attack? The U.S. Space Force., Air Force, Navy, and the Missile Defense Agency are working together to build an effective defensive system capable of tracking and deterring hypersonic attacks. Due to the requirement to maintain security around their progress, details are not available. With the pace at which potential adversaries are developing hypersonic weaponry, all of our defence elements are equally at risk as sea, land, air, and space targets are vulnerable to attack. The U.S. Army’s evolving Integrated Battle Command System is networking radar and missile warning systems to track the flight path of a hypersonic weapon. This system may develop into an effective countermeasure for hypersonic defence.. 

References

• May 2021 National Defense Magazine Analysts Question Uniqueness of Hypersonic Weapons Capabilities
• May 2021 Hypersonic Missiles Don’t believe the hype
• Apr 2021 Military and Aerospace Electronics Eying adversaries, U.S. military is spending $15 billion over 10 years on hypersonic weapons development
• Apr 2021 Aerospace TESTING INTERNATIONAL BAE Australia increases funding for hypersonic missile development