China surprised U.S. military leaders when, in 2021, it launched a hypersonic missile over the South China Sea that traveled at speeds of more than 15,000 mph.
Russia is using hypersonic missiles against Ukraine, including a new one Moscow says can travel eight times the speed of sound with a 660-pound warhead.
“America needs to regain its edge in terms of its ability to strike targets at range,” said Bryon Hargis, chief executive of Castelion, a startup in California developing a long-range hypersonic weapons system that will include explosives.
Hypersonic aircraft and weapons fly at five times the speed of sound or faster, which is at least 3,800 miles an hour. The aircraft must be able to withstand temperatures of thousands of degrees. The major powers of the world are in a race to develop the most sophisticated missiles that can be launched from long distances, evade air defenses, maneuver and strike targets quickly—before the enemy can make preparations or even know they are coming.
The U.S. military has little to show after spending billions of dollars over decades trying to develop the advanced systems. It has no offensive or defensive hypersonic systems in deployment. In 2021, the Defense Department outlined plans to field offensive hypersonic weapons in the early to mid-2020s.
@CockyGreenPartyDemocrat2mos2MO
Being a bit older, what truly bothers me, we (the USA) used to be the leaders in most everything. Now, every place I read and hear, it seems we're playing from behind and it is always "catch-up". The drive and ambition seems to have devolved into a race for "experiences" and personal growth. Sacrifice and career development seem to have become stigmas rather than noble traits. Is it my imagination?
Hard to keep the military on the cutting edge of technology when the Dems insist that every defense dollar must be matched with a social program dollar. Dems essentially double the cost of military programs..
@ZestyL3gislatorRepublican2mos2MO
Not only that but the younger generation seems to have a “weapons are bad” attitude and engineers and CS people are more likely to go off to work for Meta than defense companies.
@ApplesMadelineRepublican2mos2MO
Confirms my feelings that the Pentagon is nothing but a pig farm (pork).
@SomberPumaPatriot2mos2MO
Nothing invites war, instability and unpredictability more than weakness, despite what many well meaning liberals like yourself like to think.
The world is a much more dangerous place with opportunistic malignant regimes, like Russia, China, DPRK and Iran, that only understand strength.
No amount of nice words backed up by nothing will keep them from pursuing their ambitions for conquest and expansion.
@9CJ6CB62mos2MO
Then what must be done is a show of force that dissuades an arms race that humans will always end up being worse off for. Go to the UN, let’s address this problem on the world scale, and publicly call upon all nations to swear to keep nukes off of hair trigger, and to slow these kinds of technologies.
If this is true it is really sad. I'm sure the military has great training on an inclusive work place and promoting and developing equal outcomes even with defense contractors. It really is shameful. Thank God we have a strong private sector to offset the socialist government we have at this point in time. What has skunk works been doing since the development of stealth technology? I know they were working on stealth missiles. Maybe they are more worried about being woke than actual results as well. It is time to stop focusing on the things that are destroying our country - social engine...
@FranchiseEleanorNo Labels2mos2MO
The US behind Russia and China in technology..... who was asleep at the wheel on this one.....
@9CJ6CB62mos2MO
For one piece of technology, yes, but we remain ahead elsewhere. We can already vaporize Russia 14 times over with our submarines, increasing weaponry is unnecessary and dangerous, so we need to have dialogue here with Russia and China.
@OutlyingCougarRepublican2mos2MO
Most of the US government folks we pay. Most don’t have the technical chops to know what they’re looking at and in my experience, government folks all clock out at 5. Not a lot of dedication to the mission at the levels that make some of these decisions.
@D3fenceTacosLibertarian2mos2MO
Isn’t our defense budget almost double the size of China and Russia combined?
It mostly funds DEI programs and woke policing of the troops.....
@9CJ6CB62mos2MO
My family is literally military, that’s really not what the funding is going to, it’s a very small portion. It’s noticeable in the military (the programs not the money loss) but most don’t really care or just get triggered (the triggered ones are conservatives like 90% of the time).
What do the conservatives get triggered about?
@9CJ6CB62mos2MO
The usual “woke” stuff, anti-racist programs, “inclusion in the workplace” presentations, pride month celebrations, the usual gist.
@LobbyCicadaMountain2mos2MO
The back half of 2024 will be the very most dangerous period of the post-1945 era as Xi is fully aware that the position of China vis-a-vis the USA will never be stronger.
If he truly wants Taiwan, it's now or never.
Interesting times, these are, and parlous.
I will wager the various pieces on the gameboard, North Korea, Iran (and proxies) Russia and others will now begin to make rapid and dramatic simultaneous moves in advance of the final strategic event, the Taiwan Blockade Gambit.
@C0nsensu5PaisleyLibertarian2mos2MO
China is very weak.
We'll cut off all of their energy imports, and their exports, with our navy, not to mention help from the second most lethal navy in the world (the Japanese).
@LobbyCicadaMountain2mos2MO
Optimistic view with our aging fleet and out of date weapons... How many Fifth Generation Fighters do we have? Which is what our 1990's Buffalo's (F18) will be going up against.... Optimistic view indeed....
@C0nsensu5PaisleyLibertarian2mos2MO
We have about 165 F-22's and over 500 F-35's. Every year more F-35's are delivered with a total force of over 2300 by 2044. Then add in allies and we've got a ton.
@9CJ6CB62mos2MO
No no NO I refuse to let us get caught in an arms race! We bring this to the UN, we create nuclear deals on this subject, we put the nukes off of hair-trigger across the globe but let’s do ANYTHING but prompt an even greater use of nukes for gods sake.
@9KD9YLGRepublican2mos2MO
It's honestly scary as we are nearing more and more towards a war.
@9KD855K 2mos2MO
depends where they lauched the missiles to'
@9KD7C5P 2mos2MO
Russia is currently going at war with Ukraine and possibly going to go for other countries as well.
@9KCWNNK2mos2MO
to make sure that the people know if they will land here and possibly hurt people
@9KCZ8HQIndependent2mos2MO
its threatening on where they're launching it to.
@9KCWWN82mos2MO
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
@9KCZXSX2mos2MO
Just curious if this can lead to a potential WW3
@9KCMBQ62mos2MO
Because they launched missiles into the air that could go anywhere.
@9KCKP5VIndependent2mos2MO
i feel like i could care less about it i don't really go anywhere like i don't watch tv or anything.
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
Do you believe the pursuit of advanced weapons systems like hypersonic missiles increases or decreases the likelihood of conflict?
@9CJ6CB62mos2MO
Increases dramatically, no one wins an arms race, they just have to keep going, and eventually that creates severe problems for the weaker of the powers, leading to a massive amount of strength for the stronger one, and an overall less stable earth.
@BoastfulFederalistGreen2mos2MO
Everyone seems to forget about the Cuban missile crisis.
@9CJ6CB62mos2MO
How so? We had a much less stable environment, and that nearly destroyed us like 40 times. The Soviets were the weaker power, they got destroyed later, and America got a massive military increase.
@BoastfulFederalistGreen2mos2MO
The military industrial complex in DC survives on constant Arms races.
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