India among elite few with formidable potential in hypersonic weapons tech

The penetrative thrust and surefire strike potential, gives it an almost invincible edge. This technology has the capability to bypass most of the current missile defence systems and deliver nuclear bombs

India is well on its way to reaching a milestone in hypersonic weapon technology. Indeed this mega achievement places it among the ranks of a select few countries at the global level, a report  in the Deccan Chronicle says. 

The penetrative thrust and surefire strike potential, gives it an almost invincible edge. This technology has the capability to bypass most of the current missile defence systems and deliver nuclear bombs, the quasi- independent US Congressional Research Service says in its latest report.

Earlier the US had voiced concerns over a report that China had recently tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile that circled the globe before moving towards its target. Naturally, the implications cannot be taken lightly, for it gives China a space-based global strike capability and drastically cuts down the time of targets to react appropriately.  

The Chinese missile reportedly missed its target. However experts believe the consequences eventually could still be equally dangerous. 

Hypersonic missiles can fly at speeds of at least Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) with far greater manoeuvrability than ballistic missiles. 

The US report says “Although the United States, Russia and China have the most advanced hypersonic weapons programmes, a number of other countries — Australia, India, France, Germany and Japan — are also developing hypersonic weapons technology”.

India had collaborated with Russia on the development of the BrahMos-II, a Mach 7 hypersonic cruise missile and will  be able  to achieve initial operational capability between 2025 and 2028. India was reportedly also developing an indigenous, dual-capable hypersonic cruise missile as part of its Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle programme. It also successfully tested a Mach 6 “Scramjet” in June 2019 and September 2020.

The report says India operates approximately 12 hypersonic wind tunnels and is capable of testing speeds of up to Mach 13. The report said hypersonic weapons could challenge detection and defence due to their speed, manoeuvrability and low altitude flight. 

***********************************************************************

Readers

These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.

Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world.  We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.

Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.

In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.

For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com