hypersonic missiles
Highlights
- Hypersonic weapons are a possible alternative to defense
- Russia and China are both developing their hypersonic capabilities
- can pose a major threat to aircraft carriers
World News: America is scared of hypersonic missiles coming from Russia and China. These missiles fly at such a high speed that it is extremely difficult to shoot them down with the help of any air defense system. By the time normal radar detects the presence of a hypersonic missile, it is either out of range or destroys its target. The US fears that hypersonic missiles from Russia and China could pose a major threat to its warships and aircraft carriers.
This is the reason why the US Navy is working on developing direct energy systems these days. A top US Navy admiral said that advances in hypersonic weapons technology by Russia and China have greatly increased our concerns.
US Naval Operational Head expresses concern
Admiral Michael Gilday, Chief of US Naval Operations, said developing systems powered by high-energy lasers or high-powered microwaves to destroy such threats is currently a top priority for the US Navy. “From a defensive point of view, we are focused on the threat,” Gilday said during an event at the Heritage Foundation on Thursday. We are not ignoring it. Gilday said adversaries such as Russia and China have made great progress in hypersonic weapons. This is a matter of serious concern. Both Russia and China are developing their hypersonic capabilities and will soon deploy them to defend the region.
Why is this so dangerous?
Hypersonic missiles travel at five times the speed of sound or even faster. As such they present a unique challenge to American defensive systems. They fly much faster than conventional missiles. In addition, they do not fly on a predictable trajectory like ballistic missiles, making them more difficult to detect and intercept. Russia used its hypersonic Kinzel missile in the Ukraine war, while China added to America’s troubles last year by testing a hypersonic glide vehicle.
Hypersonic weapons could be a possible alternative to defense
Direct energy systems use lasers or microwave emitters to destroy another system or disrupt its electronics. Direct energy weapons are a possible alternative to hypersonic weapons defense. However, it has not yet been tried in the field of warfare. As such, the usefulness of laser weapons or energy systems is still questionable. The direct energy weapon is primarily considered a defensive weapon. However, it can also be mounted on fighter aircraft and used for attack. Direct energy weapons include a high energy laser, high power radio frequency or microwave devices.
US Navy has prepared
The US Navy deployed Lockheed Martin’s Helios Laser System on the USS Prebble this month. Helios is an integrated optical-dazzler and monitoring system with a high energy system. The US is working with companies such as Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Honeywell Aerospace to develop more such systems. In 2014, the US Navy successfully tested and deployed a laser weapons system on the USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf. The system was capable of damaging drones, small aircraft and small boats. Last year the Navy tested a more advanced laser system on the USS Portland.
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