CNN: The US hid the successful test of a hypersonic missile
The United States successfully tested a hypersonic missile in mid-March, CNN reported, citing a representative of the Ministry of Defense. Then the President of the United States Joe Biden was going to go to Europe for the NATO, G7 and EU summits, so the fact of the tests was hidden from the public for two weeks to avoid increasing tensions with Russia.
A missile without a warhead
According to a military official, the United States launched a Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) missile version of Lockheed Martin. The launch was carried out from a B-52 bomber off the west coast. First, the rocket was accelerated by a rocket engine, and then the air-jet engine brought its speed to Mach 5 and higher.
The source of the TV channel clarified that the rocket flew at an altitude of more than 65 thousand feet (more than 19 km), having covered more than 300 miles (more than 480 km). At the same time, even at the lower limit of the hypersonic range - about 3,800 miles per hour (more than 6,000 km per hour) - a flight of 300 miles would take less than 5 minutes.
The HAWC concept hypersonic missile did not carry a warhead, but instead used its kinetic energy to destroy the target.
The article notes that the United States is trying not to take steps and not to make statements that could lead to an unnecessary escalation of tension in relations between Washington and Moscow. So, on Friday, the United States canceled the test of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile to avoid misinterpretation by Russia.
The Americans also remain somewhat cautious about the weapons and equipment they send to Ukraine. For example, the United States opposed the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine, fearing that the Kremlin might interpret such a step as the entry of the United States and NATO into the conflict in Ukraine. For the same reasons, officials concealed the successful test of a hypersonic missile.
"It's almost impossible to stop her"
According to the source, the test took place a few days after Russia announced that it had used its own hypersonic Dagger missile in Ukraine.
"On March 18, the Dagger aviation missile system with hypersonic aeroballistic missiles destroyed a large underground warehouse of missiles and aviation ammunition of Ukrainian troops in the village of Delyatin in the Ivano-Frankivsk region," Major General Igor Konashenkov, an official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, said at a briefing.
He added that Russia will continue to use "Daggers" in Ukraine. Later, a representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said that the strike by the hypersonic missile "Dagger" on the arsenal in Ukraine was carried out from a range of more than 1,000 kilometers.
"I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the use of hypersonic aeroballistic missiles of the Dagger complex was carried out from a range of more than 1000 kilometers. The flight time of the hypersonic missile was less than 10 minutes," Konashenkov said.
He clarified that "due to hypersonic speed and ultra-high kinetic energy, the warhead of the Dagger missile complex destroyed a protected underground arsenal located in a mountainous area, built in Soviet times to store special ammunition and missiles."
Air-based Dagger missiles are the newest type of strategic weapons. They can maneuver on the trajectory when performing a task, so their interception is extremely difficult. According to officials, intercepting a target flying at a speed of Mach 10 and maneuvering on a trajectory is a task for today's air defense and missile defense systems that is practically impossible.
However, US officials then downplayed the significance of Russia's use of a hypersonic missile. So, Defense Minister Lloyd Austin said that he did not consider the use of the Dagger "some kind of turning point." A few days later, Pentagon press Secretary John Kirby said it was "difficult to understand what exactly justified" the launch, since it was aimed at a stationary storage facility.
"This is a pretty serious blow to such a goal," Kirby said.
US President Joe Biden also commented on the first combat use of the Dagger, noting the invulnerability of a hypersonic missile.
"It has the same warhead as any other missile. There is no big difference, except that it is almost impossible to stop it," the American leader said at a meeting with business representatives.
Maria Shustrova