Earlier in the year, during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia announces that its forces used a hypersonic missile to destroy a huge underground arms depot near the Ukrainian border with Romania and another to destroy a field depot.

With a claimed maximum speed of 4.1 km/s, or 14,760 km/hr, the missile travels at 12 times the speed of sound. Unlike ballistic missiles, a hypersonic missile is the next step in the evolution of armed projectiles.

What is a hypersonic missile?

A hypersonic missile is any projectile that travels at 5 and 25 times the speed of sound. These missiles are extremely fast and far harder for surface-to-air missile defence systems to target.

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The missile is travelling so fast in the atmosphere, that it forms a layer of a plasma cloud in front of its warhead that functions to block radio waves and thus protect it from detection.

These missiles also possess evasive capabilities and have enough range to cover continents, making them potent offensive weapons.

Which countries have them?

Apart from Russia’s Kinzhal, US and China are in advanced stages of developing their own hypersonic missiles in the modern arms race. Officials have stated that the development of hypersonic missiles is a matter of national pride, much akin to the 1960s space race.

However, much more importantly, the existence of hypersonic missiles which can be fitted with nuclear armament undermines the nuclear policy of deterrence.

Apart from the trio, other nations like France, Germany, Japan, Australia and India are also in the process of developing their own hypersonic missiles. Many of these countries are trying to develop the new-age weapons in concert with other global partners, like India collaborating with Russia and Australia working with the US, while others like China and Japan are working on their own.

When will India get one?

India’s own hypersonic missile is expected to arrive within the next 5-6 years.

"BrahMos Aerospace is capable of making hypersonic missiles. In five to six years, we will be able to have our first hypersonic missile by BrahMos," said Atul Rane, CEO and MD, BrahMos Aerospace, last month.

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BrahMos Aerospace is an Indo-Russian multinational aerospace and defence joint venture that is responsible for developing the fastest supersonic cruise missile, the BrahMos.

BrahMos 2 is one of the projects that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is working on along with BrahMos Aerospace. In 2020, the DRDO successfully tested a hypersonic propulsion system – the Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle or HSTDV – which achieved speeds of Mach 6.

“India has joined a select group of countries, including the United States, Russia, and China, that have indigenously developed technology capable of making the HSTDV take an unpredictable trajectory and elude interceptor detection,” a defence official told India Today.

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(Edited by : Anand Singha)