Hypersonics: U.S. not as advanced as China and Russia

Hypersonics: U.S. not as advanced as China and Russia

Washington, Nov. 24, 2021

The U.S. is not as advanced as China and Russia in hypersonic technologies, according to General David Thompson, deputy chief of the U.S. Space Force’s space division.

In July, the Pentagon detected a Chinese test of a hypersonic missile traveling at five times the speed of sound – faster than any known missile. Russia also fired a missile last week as part of a test in the Arctic.

Thompson acknowledged that the U.S. „needs to catch up very quickly.“

He told Politico that the U.S. is working to determine the appropriate type of satellite constellation to track missiles from Russia and China.

The Pentagon’s research agency, DARPA, is trying to figure out how the Chinese ship was able to overcome the laws of physics previously considered insurmountable for a vehicle’s top speed on Earth.

The Army is expected to deploy its first hypersonic missile in 2023 or 2024. For more on the hypersonic arms race, click here:

https://www.science.org/content/article/national-pride-stake-russia-china-united-states-race-build-hypersonic-weapons