PORTLAND, Maine, USA (AP) — Lagging behind Russia in the development of hypersonic weapons, the US Navy is rushing to deploy the first, with the installation on a warship due to begin later next year.
The United States is in a race with Russia and China to develop these weapons, which travel at speeds similar to those of ballistic missiles but are difficult to shoot down due to their maneuverability.
The Russian Army assured that on Saturday and Sunday it deployed hypersonic missiles against targets in Ukraine, the first time it used the weapon in combat. And although the Pentagon was unable to confirm these claims, the US Army is hurriedly seeking to catch up.
The American weapon would be launched like a ballistic missile and would release a hypersonic glide vehicle that would be seven or eight times faster than the speed of sound before hitting the target.
In Maine, Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, has begun engineering and design work to install the weapon system on three Zumwalt-class destroyers.
Work would begin on a shipyard yet to be designated sometime in the fiscal year beginning in October 2023, the Navy said.
Hypersonic weapons are those that exceed Mach 5 speed, or five times the speed of sound, about 6,100 kilometers per hour (3,800 miles per hour). ICBMs far exceed that threshold, but they have a predictable trajectory and can be intercepted.
The new weapons are maneuverable.
Existing missile defense systems, including the US Navy's Aegis system, could hardly intercept such objects because maneuverability makes their movement unpredictable and speed leaves little time to react.
Russia says it has ballistic missiles that can deploy hypersonic glide vehicles, as well as a hypersonic cruise missile.
Últimas Noticias
Debanhi Escobar: they secured the motel where she was found lifeless in a cistern
Members of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Nuevo León secured the Nueva Castilla Motel as part of the investigations into the case
The oldest person in the world died at the age of 119
Kane Tanaka lived in Japan. She was born six months earlier than George Orwell, the same year that the Wright brothers first flew, and Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize
Macabre find in CDMX: they left a body bagged and tied in a taxi
The body was left in the back seats of the car. It was covered with black bags and tied with industrial tape
The eagles of America will face Manchester City in a duel of legends. Here are the details
The top Mexican football champion will play a match with Pep Guardiola's squad in the Lone Star Cup
Why is it good to bring dogs out to know the world when they are puppies
A so-called protection against the spread of diseases threatens the integral development of dogs
