[SpaceNews] Defense officials have been sounding alarms about what they describe as a glaring national security vulnerability — a new class of ultrafast weapons being developed by China and Russia that would overpower U.S. missile defenses.
Detecting and tracking hypersonic missiles is a tough problem the Pentagon is trying to figure out how to tackle. A network of ground radars, satellites and interceptors defends the United States and allies from ballistic missiles from countries such as North Korea. But the system would be ineffective against non-ballistic weapons like hypersonic vehicles that fly at several times the speed of sound and maneuver in unpredictable directions.
The current ballistic missile defense shield is a layered architecture designed to provide multiple opportunities to destroy missiles and their warheads before they can reach their targets. The system includes space- and ground-based sensors, and sea-based radars for target detection and tracking. Ground- and sea-based interceptors, connected by a battle-management network, are positioned in key locations around the globe to fire against incoming missiles. |