Pentagon leaders see hypersonic flight of weapons and aircraft as essential to future military superiority, citing it as a revolutionary technology that could enable U.S. forces to thwart sophisticated next-generation integrated air defense systems.
“Integrated air defense systems are getting to be very hard. Electronic warfare is part of the answer but part of the answer is speed. If they can’t catch you – you can get in and do your strike,” said Al Shaffer, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering.
Shaffer mentioned Syrian, Russian and Chinese air defense systems as among the more technologically advanced systems, suggesting that hypersonic weaponry could be key in the future should the U.S. need to go up against these countries.
While today’s cruise missiles travel at speeds up to 600 miles per hour, hypersonic weapons will be able to reach speeds of Mach 5 to Mach 10.
Shaffer mentioned hypersonic flight alongside electronic warfare and autonomy as areas of potential revolutionary technological change. As a result, it needs to be an area of continued prototyping, experimentation and emphasis, he said.
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