The Russian Defense Ministry released video of a frigate conducting drills in the Norwegian Sea while carrying hypersonic cruise missiles. Hypersonic missiles travel low in the atmosphere and can maneuver mid-air.
The Russian Zircon is a hypersonic cruise missile, which means it launches and propels itself using an air-breathing engine called a scramjet. This technology is newly employed in the world of weaponry.
Russia used another type of hypersonic missile against Ukraine last year, becoming the first to do so in conflict. However, those were hypersonic glide missiles, which cannot launch on their own.
In 2021, after China tested its own hypersonic missile, Straight Arrow News interviewed experts from the RAND corporation about the different types of technology.
At that time, the U.S. Department of Defense said it was watching China’s development of this technology. Now, it seems Russia is taking the lead, and U.S. defense officials say they’re watching closely.
In October 2022, the Department of Defense released its National Defense Strategy report, which said “the Department must seek new technologies and hedge against continuing adversary missile developments and emerging capabilities such as hypersonic weapons.”
