They are extremely fast, can change course in the air and pose enormous challenges to states under attack. Experts advise on how to respond to hypersonic weapons.
NATO General Christian Badia believes that increased efforts are needed to defend against modern hypersonic weapons. To achieve a credible deterrent, both defense and the ability to attack must be a priority, Badia said at a conference in Berlin.
While there was still a lot of hope for arms control of the new technology in 2020, experts have now become more pessimistic. Russia is already using these weapons systems against Ukraine.
What makes hypersonic weapons special
Hypersonic weapons fly towards their target at up to twenty times the speed of sound, are more maneuverable and at the same time much harder to locate than ballistic missiles. The warning time could shrink to just about two minutes, it was said at the meeting. Experts therefore also refer to the weapons as “game changers” that can change the rules and strategic considerations of a conflict.
“Moscow-Berlin route. If you’re quick, it’s five minutes from there to here. Even Beijing-Berlin, where they say Beijing is infinitely far away, 20 minutes,” said Markus Ziegler from the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI). That has an impact.
Ziegler said: “The world we live in is becoming a village again. That means I can use the technologies to create threats. But I can also create geopolitical influence.” The BDLI and the German Security and Defense Industry Association (BDSV) are organizing the 1st Hypersonic Innovation Conference.
Source: Stern
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