Introduction
Hypersonic missiles are often portrayed as a revolutionary “game-changing” weapon, yet experts caution that this is misleading. The physics of low-altitude, manoeuvring flight mean that hypersonic systems are “an evolutionary, not revolutionary development” compared to existing missiles. They face immense thermal and aerodynamic challenges and actually lose speed in their glide, often arriving no faster than a conventional ballistic missile over the same range.[1] In practice, their most distinctive feature is their complex flight profile, not miraculous performance.
By definition, hypersonic weapons simply fly faster than Mach 5, including both rocket-launched glide vehicles (HGVs) and scramjet-powered cruise missiles. Crucially, multiple powers, notably the United States, China, and Russia, are racing to develop such systems.[2] In each case, pursuing hypersonic has as much to do with prestige and strategic signaling as it does with battlefield necessity. For instance, Congress has observed that U.S. interest is driven largely by the fear of falling behind China and Russia’s efforts.[3]
