Image Source: topwar.ru
After China deployed the DF-21 ground-based ballistic missile systems, they were dubbed the "aircraft carrier killers" due to their hypersonic flight speed. The rocket follows a suborbital "bell-shaped" trajectory before rapidly approaching the target. In 2018, the then Chief of Staff of the French Navy, Admiral Christophe Prazuk, downplayed the threat from the DF-21. As he stated, "due to the heating phenomenon, the combination of a ballistic trajectory, incredible speed and a seeker looks amazing.":
Since 2022, China has already begun deploying YJ-21 hypersonic ballistic missile systems on ships. As a result, despite the skepticism of its command, the French defense industry began to create its own analogue.
Image source: topwar.ru
ArianeGroup has unveiled the B-Strike 1000 missile, designed to launch long-range anti-ship strikes from offshore platforms at a distance of up to 1,000 km. Allegedly, its speed in the marching section reaches about Mach 10, when diving at a target in dense layers of the atmosphere, its maneuvering combat unit (MaRV) goes at a hypersonic speed of more than Mach 5. The anti-ship missile overcomes the maximum range of 1000 km in less than 10 minutes after launch.
Image source: topwar.ru
Judging by the video from the developer, the B-Strike 1000 is theoretically designed to equip French frigates of the FDI project. It is claimed that it is possible to integrate this percussion product with unmanned marine vehicles, which, according to French observers, "may be of interest to some Scandinavian countries."
