The race for the two miles-a-second super weapons that Putin says turn targets to dust

August 21, 2025

of Hypersonic Missile Development Article The article details the global race to develop hypersonic missile technology, with China and Russia currently leading while the US and other nations attempt to catch up. These weapons, traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) with the ability to maneuver unpredictably during flight, pose significant challenges for detection and interception systems. The development timeline traces back to China's public unveiling of its DF-17 hypersonic missiles in 2019, with various nations since advancing their capabilities amid growing concerns about their potential to change warfare dynamics due to their speed, maneuverability, and the difficulty in determining whether they carry conventional or nuclear warheads.

Who is affected

Nations with current hypersonic missile capabilities (China, Russia, Israel) and those developing them (US, UK, France, Japan, North Korea, Iran)
Military forces and defense systems that must adapt to the shortened response times these weapons create
Civilian populations in potential target areas
Defense industries and research institutions involved in both developing these weapons and countering them
Government defense budgets as countries invest in this technology

What action is being taken

The US is strengthening its deterrence capabilities with the debut of its "Dark Eagle" hypersonic weapon
The UK is conducting propulsion tests in collaboration with the US government and industry, recently completing 233 successful static test runs at NASA's Langley Research Center
Western nations are considering bolstering space-based sensors to overcome the limitations of ground-based radars in detecting hypersonic threats
Russia is continuing to develop and test its hypersonic arsenal, including using an experimental missile in Ukraine as a live testing ground
China is expanding its hypersonic capabilities, recently unveiling the GDF-600 hypersonic glide vehicle

Why it matters

Hypersonic missiles could change warfare dynamics due to their speed (Mach 5+) and unpredictable maneuverability
Current detection systems struggle to track these weapons until late in their flight path, giving defenders minimal time to respond
The dual-use nature (conventional/nuclear) creates dangerous ambiguity about the nature of an attack
The technology gap between nations with advanced hypersonic capabilities and those without creates strategic imbalances
The weapons represent a shift back to nation-state competition reminiscent of Cold War dynamics after decades focused on counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC