The US hypersonic missile test is being seen as the Pentagon’s posturing against its adversaries whilst global geopolitical tensions lead to new age arms race
Amidst the current geopolitical tensions, and military conflicts taking place in Europe, the major world powers, the U.S., Russia and China have not lost their focus on their arms race. last Sunday, the US Air Force conducted a successful air-launched hypersonic weapons test over the Pacific Ocean.
While the test is a military demonstration of US defence capability, it’s also a geopolitical response to US adversaries in the region, namely North Korea and China.
In recent years, China has improved its hypersonic capabilities to such heights that in 2021, U.S. General Mark A. Milley, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that China’s hypersonic weapons tests are “very concerning” — and “very close” to a Sputnik moment.
Why is the Hypersonic Missile Test important
The US hypersonic missile test has been seen as the Pentagon’s posturing against North Korea, China and Russia amidst recent geopolitical developments. Even in the Russia-Ukraine war, several Russian hypersonic missiles (kinzhal) have been launched against Ukraine.
Although, officially the speed of the US hypersonic weapon has not been disclosed, based on media reports, in the previous Air-Launched rapid response weapon (ARRW) test it had reached five times the speed of sound. The test will help in evaluating the operational capability of the hypersonic missile.
The test was carried out by a B-52 bomber departing from the US military base at Guam island in the Pacific. The island is central to US military operations in the region, overseeing the territory of the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. It provides strategic support for operational requirements, in both peacetime and wartime conditions.The military base in Guam assists US troops stationed in military installations at various locations in the Pacific region.
Important Geopolitical Events in the Pacific
Due to China and North Korea’s aggressive military posturing in the Pacific, South Korea, Philippines and Japan have been forced to enhance their military readiness and defence capabilities.
The spillover effects of the Ukraine-Russian war in Europe have also led to increased tensions in the Southeast Asian region.
Last year, several ballistic missiles were launched over Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by North Korea as a response to US bilateral engagement in South Korea. Such acts have caused Japan to revamp its national security and defence capabilities.
There has been an acrimony in the Taiwan Strait due to American naval transits. Even when Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, China responded by carrying out several military exercises to intimidate Taiwan.
Last year in August, China asserted its territorial ambition when it released its standard map claiming territories of its neighbours as part of People’s Republic of China.
India’s Hypersonic Capabilities
The last century was a benchmark for the innovation of various military technologies which powered the Cold War arms race. The hypersonic missiles were a game changer for modern warfare in the aerial domain. Although, nuclear weapons are predominantly projected for deterrence purposes they do not have much conventional use due to their mass destruction fallouts. The hypersonic missiles fit in better, as it provides conventional deterrence against adversaries, as also strategic utility in modern warfare. A hypersonic missile has the potential to destroy or immobilise a major platform like the aircraft carrier of the enemy.
Hypersonic weapons are useful for knocking off the enemy’s integrated air defence systems at a speed of Mach 5 or much more, flying low enough to evade enemy radars. With its destructive capability, a hypersonic weapon can target enemies from any point of the planet in minutes from the time of launch.
India started its pursuit of hypersonic missiles in 2007 under Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Currently, India is developing its hypersonic missile called BrahMos-2 which will be based on a hypersonic scramjet technology, which is the central element of a hypersonic weapon. In 2020, India successfully tested a scramjet-powered hypersonic missile at Mach 6 for about 22-23 seconds. The test marked an important juncture in India’s endeavours to develop a hypersonic missile.
Team BharatShakti
