Russian Hypersonic Missile Development Scientist Arrested for Treason... "Leaking Secrets to Foreign Country"

Scientist researching since the Soviet era transferred technology
Technology to neutralize MD... Likely leaked to the US and China

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A scientist who participated in the development of Russia's latest hypersonic missile has been arrested on charges of leaking classified information. Russian judicial authorities announced that treason charges will be applied, raising the possibility that the technology was leaked to China or the United States. Hypersonic missiles are weapons capable of completely neutralizing existing missile defense systems (MD), with Russia possessing the most advanced technology, and the U.S. and China reportedly competing with Russia in development.

On the 12th (local time), according to Russia's TASS news agency, a Russian court announced the arrest of Alexander Kuranov, head of the Russian Hypersonic Systems Research Institute located in Saint Petersburg, on charges of leaking classified information. Russia's Interfax news agency predicted that the court would apply treason charges to Kuranov, with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Hypersonic missiles are currently Russia's latest weapons competing with the U.S. and China, with Russia reportedly having technology far superior to the other two countries. Russian authorities have not disclosed to which country Kuranov leaked the technology, but there is speculation that it may have been leaked to the U.S. or China.

The 73-year-old Kuranov, who developed the hypersonic launcher "Ayaks," which became the foundational technology for current hypersonic missile systems during the Soviet era, is known as one of the top defense industry engineers in Russia. Accordingly, it is presumed that core technologies of hypersonic missile technology have been leaked.

Hypersonic missiles are the latest missiles capable of flying at speeds exceeding Mach 20 (approximately 21,000 km/h) to strike targets. They are known to have technology that can neutralize MD systems currently operated at speeds around Mach 7 to 8, leading to intense technological development competition among major powers such as the U.S., Russia, and China.

In particular, the U.S. is considered to have entered hypersonic missile development later than Russia and China, resulting in slower operational deployment compared to the two countries. Earlier in April, the U.S. Air Force conducted a test launch of its own developed hypersonic missile "AGM-183A ARRW" at Edwards Air Force Base in California, but the test failed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.