US Experiences Third Failure in Hypersonic Missile Test... Gap Widens with Russia and China

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Concerns are rising that the gap between the United States and Russia and China, which have begun deploying hypersonic weapons in the field, will widen as the U.S. attempts to develop hypersonic weapons have stalled due to a series of experimental failures by the American defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

On the 7th (local time), Bloomberg News reported, "With Lockheed Martin's third failed hypersonic missile launch test, the U.S. effort to catch up with China and Russia in related weapons development may regress." This means the Department of Defense’s initial goal to approve the production of the U.S.'s first combat hypersonic weapon by September 30 is moving further out of reach.

The hypersonic missile reportedly being developed by the U.S. is a short-range missile that travels at 15 to 20 times the speed of sound. It targets objects within a range of less than 5,500 km that cannot be intercepted by existing fastest missiles such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

According to the report, Lockheed Martin’s third hypersonic missile launch test last month ended in failure. The schedules for the fourth and fifth tests will be adjusted based on the review results of the Failure Review Board (FRB) investigating the previous failures. The Air Force is also avoiding confirming future development schedules. In a recent statement, they only said, "We will continue to aggressively pursue initial operational capability while maintaining a high level of technical rigor."

The U.S., which originally began hypersonic weapons system research in the 1990s, temporarily halted related development due to concerns about violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) signed between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in December 1987. However, after President Donald Trump withdrew from the INF Treaty in August 2019, more full-scale development efforts have been underway.

Bloomberg pointed out, "The program faces multiple obstacles with an estimated $1.4 billion cost just in the development phase before fully operational hypersonic weapons systems are established," adding, "The Air Force has yet to disclose total development cost estimates or specific development goals." If the tests succeed by the targeted date of June 30, major flight tests for fully operational missiles are expected to follow from July to September, and Lockheed Martin’s hardware manufacturing and integration capabilities for delivery will be reviewed.

Russia announced last month, ahead of its invasion of Ukraine, that it had successfully test-fired a hypersonic missile to the U.S. and NATO allies. Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu emphasized that hypersonic weapons will be central to Russia’s nuclear deterrence capabilities in the future. The U.S. has stated that Russia has deployed the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle and the Zircon hypersonic missiles for anti-ship and land-attack purposes. According to the U.S. nuclear commander, China is also making massive investments in hypersonic weapons development and succeeded in launching a hypersonic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead last July.

Worldwide, few countries have the capability to develop hypersonic weapons systems. Until recently, France and India have been developing hypersonic weapons systems in cooperation with Russia. France became the fourth permanent member of the UN Security Council to enter the hypersonic weapons development race in 2019. Additionally, Australia, Japan, and European Union (EU) countries are researching hypersonic vehicles for both military and civilian use.

There are also many skeptical views regarding the U.S. hypersonic weapons development process. Jim Cooper, a Democratic member of the House of Representatives from Tennessee, stated, "The U.S. is catching up a lot with China," and argued, "To regain the leading position we lost after wasting time since the 1970s, we need to announce more than just a press release on September 30."

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