The impetus for joint arms development is aimed at countering the rise of China’s growing military presence. The Pentagon, writes the FT, has intensified its efforts to develop supersonic missiles after discovering how advanced China had become in the development of its weapons. The communist country has conducted several hundred ultrasonic missile tests – in stark contrast to the US, which has completed less than a dozen. China is not the only US adversary with access to powerful new weapons. The Russian military has said it fired two supersonic missiles during its invasion of Ukraine, apparently destroying a weapons depot in the process, during its monthly offensive. The missile, designed to be launched by a MiG fighter jet, can fly at 10 times the speed of sound and, unlike other missiles, can change course during its flight, making it impossible for air defense systems to shoot it down. It can also be used to deliver nuclear weapons. On March 19, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that it had struck an underground warehouse of missiles and ammunition in a village bordering Romania, and the next day, had destroyed a fuel depot near the southern city of Mykolaiv. Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the attack used the newest Kinzhal ultrasonic rocket, or “dagger”, in Ukraine. RIA Novosti, a Russian state-run news agency, said the attacks were the first to use next-generation weapons since Russian troops were deployed in Ukraine on February 24. The story goes on However, on March 9, the National Guard of Ukraine shared an image of an unexploded ordnance in the city of Kramatorsk in the breakaway region of Donetsk. The reports did not verify whether it was a “dagger” missile. A short-range supersonic ballistic missile, according to Ukrainian authorities, in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, in a photo released on March 9. A U.S. defense official, meanwhile, told CNN that the United States had successfully tested a supersonic missile in mid-March but kept it quiet so as not to escalate tensions with Russia. The Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) started off the west coast and came just days after Russia said it had used its own supersonic missile in Ukraine. The official gave few details about the missile test, but confirmed that it flew about 65,000 feet and for more than 300 miles. The advanced missile, previously described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as an “ideal weapon”, was one of the many new weapons he presented in his speech on the state of the nation in 2018. During that speech, Putin boasted that the missiles could hit almost anywhere in the world and evade the United States missile defense shield. Russia is believed to have used the supersonic weapon for the first time in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the 2016 civil war, although it has not been confirmed whether it was the exact Kinzhal model. By comparison, while the US cruise missile Tomahawk can travel at speeds of up to 550 mph, the Kinzhal can travel at 7,672 mph. The French Navy and the Royal Navy since 2011 have been jointly developing their own supersonic missile, which is expected to be completed in 2030. Ukrainian officials confirmed the Russian attacks over the weekend, but said the type of missile used had not been confirmed. A MiG-31K aircraft of the Russian Air Force in 2018 carries a high-precision Kinzhal ballistic missile. (Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP) According to reports, there are doubts about the use of the ballistic missile by Russia. A report suggests a lack of secondary explosions from the attack on an ammunition depot in western Ukraine is suspicious. “There is also a clear lack of secondary explosions, as one would expect when cooking rocket fuel and explosives,” the online magazine The War Zone reported on Saturday. The magazine also questioned how an Orlan-10 – an unmanned aircraft, commonly known as a drone – was able to fly over the targeted area to film the strike. If a maneuvering supersonic missile was needed for the attack due to Ukraine’s air defense systems, then how could a drone be able to film the strike and escape safely? Russian analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said the rocket would change little on the ground in Ukraine beyond “giving a specific psychological and propaganda effect.” He added that its use may indicate that the weapons of the Russian army are drying up. Defense strategy researcher Joseph Henrotin reiterated Felgenhauer’s view, pointing out on Twitter that Russia could end up with weapons. Henrotin also claimed that Putin may have used the missile with nuclear capabilities in an effort to increase the stakes of the war. On Sunday, the UN human rights office said at least 1,417 civilians had been killed since February 24, including 171 children, but said the actual numbers were believed to be “significantly higher.”
