In its report on hypersonic weapons, the British newspaper The Times said that the hypersonic speed of these weapons makes it impossible to shoot them down by conventional missile defense systems.
She said that these weapons usually fly at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles and can achieve speeds of more than 5 times the speed of sound, or 3,850 miles (about 6,200 kilometers) per hour.
The newspaper stated that there are two main types of these weapons, there are gliding vehicles, which are launched into space on a missile before sliding towards their target, and there are cruise missiles that contain engines that use air oxygen and produce thrust as they move, allowing them to move quickly and at height fixed.
She added that these weapons, unlike ordinary ballistic missiles, do not follow a predetermined curved trajectory, but rather use air to move in flight, which makes tracking and destroying them more difficult, because the enemy does not know what the target is, and hypersonic weapons can also carry nuclear or conventional warheads. .
The Times adds that countries around the world are racing to develop such weapons, of which China, the United States and Russia are the most advanced, and other countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, France and Germany are also researching this technology.
To counter these weapons, the Times says, countries are also looking to develop anti-hypersonic weapons systems that will be able to counter incoming missiles.
In this regard, the newspaper quotes Douglas Barry, the senior researcher in the field of military aviation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, as saying that the technology to counter an attack with hypersonic weapons does not exist yet. Somewhat too."
Before the war on Ukraine, Russia had tested about 10 new hypersonic cruise missiles Tsirkon from a frigate, and launched two more from a submarine.
Since the beginning of the war, Russia has deployed the latest hypersonic Kinzhal missile, which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, targeting a fuel depot not far from the city of Mykolaiv near the Black Sea, and an underground missile and ammunition storage site in the west, Western analysts said. This is the first time that hypersonic missiles have been used in combat, however, some experts question whether the Kingal should be classified as a hypersonic weapon, and Barry said it is a short-range ballistic missile modified to be launched from an aircraft.