![]() ![]() initiative to research and develop technologies that make long-duration hypersonic flight a reality. The United States plans to use the HTV-2 and AHW for “Prompt Global Strike,” which would allow the U.S. Equipped with numerous sensors to collect data while the vehicle is in hypersonic flight, the HTV-2 is representative of a U.S. Lockheed Martin is developing a hypersonic vehicle called the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2), which is a maneuverable rocket-launched aircraft that glides through the Earth’s atmosphere at speeds up to Mach 20 (13,000 mph). The glide vehicle successfully struck a target that was located 3,700 km away, demonstrating the long-range and high precision of the AHW. ![]() During a test in 2011, AHW was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii, to the Reagan Test Site on the Marshall Islands. The United States: The United States has invested in research and development of a hypersonic missile called the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW), which uses boost glide technology to propel warheads with conventional-rather than nuclear-payloads. is pursuing hypersonic missiles to deliver conventional payloads, while China and Russia plan to equip hypersonic missiles with conventional as well as nuclear warheads. The United States, China, and Russia are designing and testing hypersonic missiles. Nations in Pursuit of Hypersonic Missile Technology This is in contrast to conventional RVs, which descend through the atmosphere on a predictable ballistic trajectory that can be tracked and intercepted by modern missile defense systems. Hypersonic missiles are also capable of maneuvering in flight, allowing them to evade missile defense tracking systems and interceptors. This ability to travel at ultra-high velocity is the primary appeal of hypersonic missiles because it extends their range and allows them to bypass modern layered missile defenses. While conventional ballistic missiles are launched at steep trajectories that inhibit speed during the high friction of launch and reentry, hypersonic missiles glide atop the atmosphere while engaging specialized jet engines to perpetually accelerate up to hypersonic speeds. In contrast to conventional Reentry Vehicles (RV) that travel at supersonic speeds (between Mach 1 and Mach 5), hypersonic weapons travel along the edge of space and accelerate to between Mach 5 (around 3,800 mph) and Mach 10 (over 7,500 mph). By using the DMRJ, the vessel can operate without a booster, which allows it to operate in a more clandestine manner. Other options currently in development are dual mode ramjet (DMRJ), which works as a ramjet until the craft reaches proper speed and altitude, and then begins to work as a scramjet. Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (Scramjet) Engine This means that the engine collects oxygen A Scramjet engine is an engine that uses “air breathing” technology. Hypersonic vehicles typically consist of a Supersonic Combustion Ramjet, or Scramjet propulsion system to enable such high speeds. ![]() Hypersonic missiles are delivered in two ways: (1) they can be fired from the last stages of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) or Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBM) and skip along the top of the atmosphere using specialized jet engines to accelerate to hypersonic speeds or (2) they can be launched independently or released from a bomber-similar to cruise missiles-before accelerating to ultra-high speeds. These missiles are capable of delivering conventional or nuclear payloads at ultra-high velocities over long ranges. Hypersonic weapons are specifically designed for increased survivability against modern ballistic missile defense systems. As a pentagon report stated, “While the designed speed of the hypersonic missile is faster than that of sound, its advantage lies in its enhanced maneuverability and smooth flight path, which is much harder to track than that of traditional missiles.” Hypersonic weapons refer to weapons that travel faster than Mach 5 (~3,800mph) and have the capability to maneuver during the entire flight. Hypersonic weapons incorporate the speed of a ballistic missile with the maneuvering capabilities of a cruise missile. An artist’s rendition of the DF-ZF, China’s hypersonic missile that is currently in the testing phase of development
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