In the United States, a number of technologies that are required to develop hypersonic weapons are not sufficiently developed to create this type of weapon.

In this regard, projects for the deployment of hypersonic systems may be implemented with a delay.

This is stated in the report of the US Audit Office (GAO) on hypersonic weapons.

“Past experience has shown that programs that start development before the full adoption of critical technologies are more likely to face problems such as increased costs or postponements, or do not achieve their goals at all,” the document says.

It is clarified that the prepared review "of these critical technologies allows you to learn about the technical difficulties arising in the development of prototypes of hypersonic weapons systems."

“For example, a number of technologies provide protection from the extreme thermal effects exerted on hypersonic missiles during flight,” the authors of the document note.

The report also highlighted concerns over timelines for "workable hypersonic weapons systems" projects that "will not be easy to meet."

“In June 2020, we established that, as part

of the AGM-183A ARRW hypersonic cruise missile

development program (aeroballistic. -

RT

), all four planned flight tests were overdue, making it even more difficult to fulfill the mission to ensure the operability of the (missile. -

RT

) by the end of the 2022 fiscal year, ”the document says.

As specified, such a delay was due to the fact that the program Tactical Boost Glide ("Tactical acceleration - planning"), "aimed at reducing risks and supplying scheduling technology for ARRW, was behind schedule by almost a year."

Implementation problems are observed in another project as well.

“Program officials from the US Army told us that when scheduling the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon program, we understood that even the most optimized approach would not allow us to achieve the goal of achieving limited performance by FY2023. ", The report says.

As reported, according to representatives of the US Department of Defense (DoD), "current plans involve 40 flight tests over the next five years."

“Currently, the Ministry of Defense mainly uses a single corridor for flight tests of long-range weapons, but it is not enough to meet the deadline.

If during the implementation of the programs it is not possible to carry out the planned number of tests, then you will either have to reach the level of operational efficiency with fewer tests (and less data), or postpone the dates with all the time and material consequences, ”the document emphasizes.

  • Test launch of a hypersonic ballistic missile from a training ground in Hawaii

  • AFP

  • © Oscar Sosa / US NAVY

Insurmountable lag

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the United States has announced problems with the implementation of programs to create hypersonic weapons.

Last July, Marshall Billingsley, then the special envoy for arms control, said the United States was lagging behind Russia and China in hypersound.

“We can say we are lagging behind - if we compare our success, in particular, with the implementation of the Chinese test program.

And Russia has already supplemented its arsenal of heavy intercontinental missiles with two hypersonic nuclear units, ”Billingsley answered when one of the senators asked about hypersonic weapons.

According to him, there is an "urgent need" to actively test a number of developments in the field of hypersonic gliding vehicles.

In August, US General Neil Thurgood said the hypersonic weapons development and testing program should be "radically" accelerated.

Later in October, General Glen van Hirk, head of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the US Northern Command, announced that the efforts of Russia and China to finance the development of their hypersonic technologies pose a threat to the United States.

According to him, the "enemy" hypersonic weapons with the ability to control the maneuvering are challenging the Pentagon's outdated early warning systems.

"Protection against hypersonic weapons does not keep pace with the development of its offensive potential," he said.

In February 2021, the senior director of the hypersonic weapons program of the Office of the US Undersecretary of Defense for Scientific and Technical Development Mike White said that in response to the intensive actions of Moscow and Beijing to develop hypersonic technologies, Washington is creating a comprehensive strategy to accelerate the development and deployment of offensive hypersonic systems, as well as protection against enemy hypersonic weapons.

The strategy has three key parts.

The first concerns the deployment by the early - mid-2020s of "offensive hypersonic systems for delivering strikes from the sea, air and land on well-protected and especially important targets in a time-limited environment."

The second part is to consider the possibility of accelerating the development and implementation in the mid - late 2020s of a multilevel protection system against hypersonic systems.

“The third element of the strategy is related to reusable hypersonic systems.

The implementation of this task, according to him (White. -

RT

), is scheduled for the early - mid 2030s, "the Pentagon noted.

Recall that in August last year, the US Congress Research Service reported that the United States is working on several programs of hypersonic weapons and hypersonic technologies at once.

  • Rocket X-51A Waverider as seen by the artist

  • AFP

  • © Handout / US AIR FORCE

One is the US Navy's Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS), which is a hypersonic gliding ballistic missile (C-HGB) launched from Virginia-class submarines.

Another development that the ground forces are engaged in is the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW, "Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon").

These missiles will be launched from mobile ground-based installations.

USAF program - AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW, "Air-based Rapid Response Weapon").

Hypersonic missiles with a detachable soaring hypersonic unit will be launched from aircraft.

According to the developers, a warhead with a flight range of about 925 km is capable of speeds up to Mach 20.

Another project - Tactical Boost Glide ("Tactical acceleration - planning") - involves the creation of a missile system with a hypersonic warhead.

"Can't Deal With Difficulties"

As noted by military expert Ivan Konovalov, although the report of the US Accounts Chamber reflects the problems of the Pentagon in the implementation of hypersonic weapons programs, it does not convey their full spectrum.

“The document contains the thesis that the key technologies for creating hypersound in the United States are not sufficiently developed, but the American agency does not provide clarifications on this topic.

It speaks of the disruption of the tests, and therefore of the shift in the implementation of programs to the right, ”the analyst said in a conversation with RT.

Konovalov stressed that the Pentagon still cannot solve the problem of controlling a hypersonic missile.

“Russian designers have coped with this task, but the American ones, obviously, have not.

The US Department of Defense cannot understand the difficulties associated with heat-resistant materials that must be used in the production of hypersonic weapons, ”he said.

According to Konovalov, difficulties with the implementation of hypersonic programs for the American side also arise for the reason that the US military-industrial complex is considering various solutions from different companies.

“Besides, there is also a lobbying system.

All this clearly does not benefit the American military-industrial complex, a kind of design chaos is created, including around the development of hypersonic technologies, which in fact makes it difficult to fulfill the assigned tasks, "the analyst said.

In turn, military expert Alexei Leonkov said in an interview with RT that, despite the costs of the United States “for the assault on hypersonic technologies, which are estimated at billions of dollars, they did not succeed in developing an uninterrupted chain of research works that would form a scientific and technical groundwork. ".

"And since the United States does not have breakthrough hypersonic technologies, it means that they do not have not only hypersonic, but also anti-hypersonic weapons," he said.

Konovalov summed up that the United States "found itself in the position of not just catching up, but frantically catching up."

“They need to solve a lot of problems not only in the design direction, but also in the general technical one.

At the same time, the global difficulty for the United States is the fact that Russia has hypersonic missiles, which the American missile defense systems cannot respond to, ”the analyst said.

  • United States Air Force pilots

  • Reuters

  • © Ints Kalnins

According to Leonkov, the United States will try to develop hypersonic technologies together with its NATO partners.

“We are talking about collective projects that will bring together research from different countries of the bloc.

If some states cannot independently design hypersonic weapons, they will participate by providing scientific and technical personnel and finance, ”the expert noted.

However, even the contribution of the allies will not help Washington significantly accelerate the creation of hypersonic systems, Konovalov believes.

“This will take the United States at least ten years.

However, by that time Russia will have already pulled out far ahead.

And reducing the gap, which is so dreamed of in the Pentagon, will not happen, ”the expert concluded.