According to an informed source, overheard by CNN, United States would have a hypersonic weapon tested during the month of March.
The United States has secretly tested a hypersonic missile to prevent an escalation with Russia
The test would have taken place as much as possible to avoid escalating tensions with Russia and, more generally, to avoid exacerbating the delicate global geopolitical situation already endangered by the ongoing war in Ukraine. At that time, the Russian government had begun to speak openly about the hypothesis of a nuclear escalation in the event of a NATO intervention in Ukraine.
According to CNN, the hypersonic rocket was launched in the west coast american using a B-52 bomber The rocket would have traveled a distance of about 500 km and reached an altitude of 20 km above sea level.
The rocket is a prototype of the Lockheed MartinAmerican military giant and one of several companies vying for the contract to design and manufacture America’s next-generation war arsenal.
The United States lagged behind. The hypersonic missile development programs of Russia and China are both at an advanced stage, while the Western powers still do not have sufficiently mature technology. North Korea – with some doubt on the part of NATO area intelligence – has also been testing the development of a hypersonic glider for some time.
The Kinzhal hypersonic missile in action in Ukraine. Image of the Centro de Estudios Grl Mosconi.
On March 19, Russia announced that it was Kinzhal hypersonic missile to destroy an underground Ukrainian army weapons depot. While there are doubts, if the news turns out to be true, it would be the first documented case of a hypersonic missile being used in a real war scenario. It’s unclear if the last US test took place after the Russian attack – CNN generally spoke of mid-March, without giving an exact date.
In 2021 alone, Lockheed Martin has tested its prototypes of hypersonic missiles in flight at least three times.
The US on Tuesday announced a partnership with Britain and Australia to jointly develop new hypersonic weapons — in an effort to quickly bridge the gap with China and Russia’s advances.
What are Hypersonic Missiles?
As their name suggests, hypersonic rockets are capable of at least five times the speed of sound: Mach 5, where Mach 1 represents the speed of sound. The speed is 1.6 Km/s.
Thanks to their extreme speed, coupled with exceptional maneuverability, hypersonic missiles are considered nearly impossible to intercept – unlike traditional ballistic missiles.
There are two kinds. The missile that Russia uses in Ukraine – the Kinzhal -, as well as the missile tested by Lockheed Martin, belong to the category of hypersonic cruise missiles Launched in flight by military jets, they reach a speed of Mach 5 thanks to their engines.
There is also a second category: i hypersonic gliders (HGV) They are fired in a vertical trajectory, like a shuttle, and reach an extremely high altitude, more than 1,000 km from the ground, well above the Kármán line. Reaching this terrifying height, the missiles glide toward their target at hypersonic speed. They are extremely easy to maneuver and can easily bypass the main anti-missile defenses, for example by performing a series of complex maneuvers at high speed, saturating the computing power of defense systems or at least making their point of arrival unpredictable until it is not too late now.
Source: Lega Nerd
