Are hypersonic missiles a game changer? Not so fast, says new study
- US researchers say computer modelling suggests the weapons do not have significant advantages over ICMBs in terms of speed or invisibility
- Russia, China and the US are all working on an array of hypersonic weapons
Hypersonic missiles are overrated in terms of speed and can be spotted by early warning systems, according to a report by US security experts that suggested their performance is roughly comparable to conventional ballistic missiles.
China, Russia and the United States have all been exploring the potential of the missiles, which travel at low altitudes along a lower and flatter trajectory than intercontinental ballistic missiles to reduce the time it takes to travel from launch to impact. They are able to change course once released from their rocket boosters.
But computational modelling suggested that while hypersonic missiles using boost-glide systems are faster over shorter distances, they would be slower than ICBMs over long distances because of atmospheric drag forces.
“Furthermore, hypersonic missiles will remain visible to existing space-based early warning systems for the majority of flight,” said the report published in Science & Global Security online on Saturday.
“Ultimately, these results show the performance and strategic implications of hypersonic weapons to be broadly comparable to those of established ballistic missile technologies.
“While hypersonic weapons exhibit some modest advantages in terms of, for example, manoeuvrability, fundamental physical limitations imposed by low-altitude atmospheric flight render these weapons at best an evolutionary – not revolutionary – advancement,” the report said.