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Context:
In a crucial milestone in the development of next-generation hypersonic munitions, the DRDO has successfully demonstrated a cutting-edge active cooled scramjet combustor ground test for the first time in India. This is the effort to develop a long-duration supersonic combustion scramjet powered hypersonic technology.
Hypersonic Missiles
Hypersonic missiles are those missiles that fly at speeds of Mach 5 or higher, which is over five times the speed of sound. They are very maneuverable and can fly low.
- How they work?
- Hypersonic missiles use aerodynamic lift to maneuver within the atmosphere.
- They can be launched from a rocket and then glide to their target.
- They can also be propelled by air-breathing engines during flight.
- Why they are significant?
- Hypersonic missiles are made to be fast, difficult to detect, and hard to intercept.
- They can be used to strike time-critical or heavily defended targets.
- They can be used to respond to threats when other forces are not available.
- Countries that are developing hypersonic missiles
- United States, China, Russia, Australia, India, France, Germany, South Korea, North Korea, and Japan.
- Potential impact
- Could increase the risk of conflict escalation.
- It will not alter the strategic balance between nuclear powers.
Hypersonic vs Supersonic Missiles
Hypersonic
- Hypersonic missiles are those missiles whose speed is more than five times the speed of sound, while supersonic missiles are those that travel faster than the speed of sound.
- Hypersonic missiles move at a velocity of at least Mach 5, which means five times the speed of sound.
- Hypersonic missiles may be glide vehicles or cruise missiles.
- Hypersonic missiles can use air-breathing engines like scramjets to reach high speeds.
Supersonic
- Supersonic missiles travel at speeds between Mach 1 and Mach 5.
- Supersonic missiles can be cruise missiles.
- Supersonic missiles can travel at speeds of around 2-3 Mach, which is about one kilometer per second.
- Examples
- The Avangard is a hypersonic missile that can travel at Mach 20 and cover ranges of over 3,700 miles.
- BrahMos is a hypersonic missile with an approximate range of about 370 miles.