THIS RUSSIAN HYPERSONIC MISSILE CAN’T BE DETECTED OR SHOT DOWN OR STOPPED BY ANYTHING APART FROM ITS TARGET.
These ultra-fast ‘hypersonic’ missiles can hit targets anywhere on Earth within an hour, a minute or seconds depending on the target range. This could very well be one of the most reason why Joe Biden and NATO are gravely hesitant in getting into direct confrontation with Russian Forces.
WHAT ARE HYPERSONIC WEAPONS?
The word “hypersonic” means anything that moves at five times the speed of sound – 6,174 kilometres per hour (3,836mph) or more – in other words, extremely fast. Speed is important as it gives an opponent less warning and less time to react.
Most ballistic missiles already move this fast; what makes hypersonic missiles different is that they glide in the upper atmosphere and are highly manoeuvrable. Ballistic missiles, once launched, have very limited possibilities to alter their course, much like a ball once thrown.
These new missiles come in two forms; the first is hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs), which leave the Earth’s atmosphere and then plunge back into it, gliding through the upper layers in a shallow, random series of curves and turners, intended to fool an enemy’s radar as to their intended target.
The other type is the hypersonic cruise missile (HCM) which, while not as fast, is designed to fly low but also at extremely high speeds, surprising the enemy and giving it very little time to react.