NATO general calls for response to modern hypersonic weapons
Modern Hyper-sonic weapons can reach speeds up to twenty times the speed of sound. They are also very hard to detect. This makes defense very challenging. Experts are calling for a stronger focus on this at a conference.
NATO General Christian Badia considers increased efforts for defense against modern Hyper-sonic weapons necessary. For a credible deterrence, both defense and the ability to attack must be established, Badia said at a conference in Berlin. In 2020, there was still hope for disarmament of the new technology, but experts have now become more pessimistic.
Russia is already using these weapon systems against Ukraine. In February, Kiev reported that Moscow had used a SS-N-33 "Zirkon" Hyper-sonic missile for the first time. This was the preliminary result of an analysis of the fragments of a missile attack on February 7, wrote the head of the relevant research institute, Oleksandr Ruwin, on Telegram at the time.
The eight to ten meter long "Zirkon" carries a warhead of 300 kilograms and has a range of 1000 kilometers. It reaches nine times the speed of sound.
Modern Hyper-sonic weapons fly towards their target at speeds up to twenty times the speed of sound, are more maneuverable during flight, and are significantly harder to detect than ballistic missiles. The warning time could shrink to approximately two minutes, it was reported at the meeting. Experts refer to these weapons as "game changers," which can change the rules and strategic considerations of a conflict.
"Distance Moscow-Berlin. If I'm fast, it's five minutes from there to here. Even Beijing-Berlin, where they say Beijing is infinitely far away - 20 minutes," Markus Ziegler from the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) said about this. This has consequences.
Ziegler continued: "The world we live in is becoming a village. This means that with these technologies, I can build threats. I can also generate geopolitical influence." The BDLI and the German Association of Security and Defense Industries (BDSV) are organizers of the 1st Innovation Conference Hyperschall.
- In light of the challenges posed by modern Hypersonic missiles, NATO General Christian Badia emphasized the need for more robust missile defense systems, stating that both defense and offensive capabilities are crucial for a credible deterrence.
- The use of Hypersonic weapons in warfare, such as Russia's SS-N-33 "Zirkon," with speeds reaching nine times the speed of sound and a range of 1000 kilometers, is causing geopolitical consequences, as Markus Ziegler from the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) explains, where he notes that these technologies can allow one to build threats and influence on a global scale.
