An independent Congressional report has stated that India is one of the few countries developing hypersonic weapons. This comes in the wake of a media report claiming that China recently tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile that circled the globe before missing its target, demonstrating an advanced space capability that caught US intelligence off guard.
In its most recent report, the independent Congressional Research Service (CRS) stated that, while the United States, Russia, and China have the most advanced hypersonic weapons programmes, a number of other countries, including Australia, India, France, Germany, and Japan, are also developing hypersonic weapons technology.
While Australia has worked with the US on this, India has worked with Russia, according to the CRS analysis.
According to the CRS study, India and Russia collaborated on the development of the BrahMos II, a Mach 7 hypersonic cruise missile.
“Despite the fact that BrahMos II was supposed to be fielded in 2017, press reports indicate that the programme is facing substantial delays and is now expected to attain initial operational capability between 2025 and 2028.“Reportedly, India is also developing an indigenous, dual-capable hypersonic cruise missile as part of its Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle programme and successfully tested a Mach 6 scramjet in June 2019 and September 2020,” the CRS said.
As shown in a Congressional report provided by independent subject matter experts for members of the US Congress, India runs roughly 12 hypersonic wind tunnels and is capable of testing speeds of up to Mach 13.According to the Financial Times, China has tested hypersonic missiles. China, however, denied it, claiming that it tested a hypersonic “vehicle” rather than a nuclear-capable hypersonic “rocket,” as reported by a leading British publication, which also claimed that the missile missed its target by approximately two dozen miles.
According to the article, China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August that circled the globe before accelerating towards its target, exhibiting an advanced space capacity that took US intelligence off guard.
According to the CRS, the United States and Australia have been working together on the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE) initiative to develop hypersonic technologies since 2007.
The most recent HIFiRE test, completed successfully in July 2017, investigated the flight dynamics of a Mach 8 hypersonic glide vehicle, while previous tests investigated scramjet engine technologies, according to the company.
The Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE) initiative, which will succeed HIFiRE, will further explore hypersonic air-breathing systems. The SCIFiRE demonstration tests are scheduled for the mid-2020s.
In addition to the Woomera Test Range facilities, one of the world’s largest weapons testing facilities, Australia purportedly possesses seven hypersonic wind tunnels capable of testing speeds of up to Mach 30, according to the article.
France, like India, has worked and contracted with Russia to develop hypersonic technologies. Japan is also working on the Hypersonic Cruise Missile (HCM) and the Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP), according to the report.
From the department of defence:
According to the CRS, the Department of Defense (DOD) is currently developing hypersonic weapons through the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike programme, which is intended to provide the US military with the ability to strike hardened or time-sensitive targets with conventional warheads, as well as several Air Force, Army, and DARPA programmes.
Unlike programmes in China and Russia, US hypersonic weapons will be conventionally armed, according to the CRS.
“As a result, US hypersonic weapons will likely require more accuracy and will be more technically difficult to create than nuclear-armed Chinese and Russian systems,” the report continued.
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