Hypersonic missiles (HCM) and Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGV) are not necessarily new but have received a lot of attention as of late. With Russia (Avangard, Tsirkon, Kinzhal), China (DF-ZF) and the US (ARRW, GPI etc) developing and producing new hypersonics and countermeasures, let's break this topic open and talk about the basics: What are hypersonic missiles, why are they scary, what are the countermeasures and what about stealth?

- Check out my books -
Ju 87 Stuka - http://stukabook.com
STG-44 Assault Platoon - http://sturmzug.com
German Panzer Company 1941 - http://www.hdv470-7.com/
Achtung Panzer? Zur Panzerwaffe der Wehrmacht - http://panzerkonferenz.de/

- Support -
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/MilAvHistory
Channel Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmpahmxWXajV0-tuMMzSzAg/join
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/MilAvHis

- Social Media -
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MilAvHistory
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milaviationhistory/

- Sources -
Brockmann, Kolja and Schiller, Markus; A matter of speed? Understanding hypersonic missile systems, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 4 Feb. 2022, available at https://www.sipri.org/commentary/topical-backgrounder/2022/matter-speed-understanding-hypersonic-missile-systems [last accessed 06/01/2023].

CAPT Jérôme Henry and RADM Emmanuel Slaars, Hypersonic Missiles: Evolution or Revolution?, Naval News 1 Nov 2022, available at https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/11/hypersonic-missiles-evolution-or-revolution/ [last accessed 07/01/2023].

GAO, MISSILE DEFENSE Better Oversight and Coordination Needed for Counter-Hypersonic Development, June 2022.

CSIS, Space Threat Assessment 2022, April 2022

Global Security, Xingkong-2 / Starry Sky 2, available at https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/china/xingkong-2.htm [last accessed 07/01/2023]

Marlowe, Melanie and McGarth, Bryan; Net Assessment: Hypersonic weapons – gimmick or game changes?, 30 May 2019, available at https://warontherocks.com/2019/05/net-assessment-hypersonic-weapons-gimmick-or-game-changer/ [last accessed 07/01/2023].

Malinowski, Piotr; Hypersonic Weapon as a New Challenge for the Anti-Aircraft Defense Command and Control System, Safety & Defense Vol. 6, No . 2., 2020.

Media Availability With Deputy Secretary Shanahan and Under Secretary of Defense [...],” U.S. Department of Defense, December 13, 2018, at https://dod.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/1713396/media-availability-with-deputy-secretary-shanahan-and-under-secretary-of-defens/.

Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, Hypersonic Weapon Basics, last updated 30th May 2018, available at https://missiledefenseadvocacy.org/missile-threat-and-proliferation/missile-basics/hypersonic-missiles/ [last accessed 06/01/2023].

NSTXL, Understanding Hypersonics, 4 October 2022, available at https://nstxl.org/understanding-hypersonics/, [last accessed 07/01/2023].

NSTXL, Trending Technology Alert: Hypersonics, 5 August 2021, available at https://nstxl.org/trending-technology-alert-hypersonics/, [last accessed 07/01/2023].

Oelrich, Ivan; Cool your jets: Some perspective on the hyping of hypersonic weapons, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Vol. 76, No. 1, 2020.

Pentagon report, via Osborn, K. (2017). Hypersonic Weapons: Everything You Need to Know About the Ultimate Weapon. The National Interest, 22nd July, 2017, available at https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/hypersonic-weapons-everything-you-need-know-about-the-21637 [last accessed 06/01/2023].

Russian International Affairs Council, Hypersonic Weapons and Arms Control, 6 April 2020, available at https://russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/analytics/hypersonic-weapons-and-arms-control/ [last accessed 06/01/2023].

Sayler, Kelley; Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress, CRS Report R45811, updated 13. Dec. 2022.

Qinglin et al.; Infrared radiation characteristics of a hypersonic [...], Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, Vol. 32, No. 4, April 2019, pp. 861-874, available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1000936119300512 [last accessed 06/01/2023].

Verschuren, Sanne; China’s hypersonic weapon tests don’t have to be a sputnik moment, 29 October 2021, available at https://warontherocks.com/2021/10/chinas-hypersonic-missile-tests-dont-have-to-be-a-sputnik-moment/ [last accessed 07/01/2023].

- Timecodes -
00:00 - Hypersonics: The Hype
00:58: What are Hypersonic Weapons?
03:08 - Two Types of Hypersonics
05:12 - Who and Why: Countries developing Hypersonic Weapons
06:50 - Russia: Avangard, Tsirkon (Zirkon), Kinzhal
09:21 - China: Long March, DF-ZF, Xingkong 2 Starry Sky
11:28 - US: Navy, Army, Air Force, DARPA
14:50 - Capabilities of Hypersonics: Speed, Detection: Evasion
21:05 - 'Stealth'
21:42 - Countermeasures to Hypersonic
26:31 - Assessment: Is the Future Hypersonic?

- Audio -
Music and Sfx from Epidemic Sound

#hypersonic #militaryaviationhistory #missile