Hypersonic weapons — capable of speeds exceeding Mach 5 while maintaining maneuverability — represent the most significant shift in strategic strike capability since the development of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) in the 1970s. Both the United States and Russia are pursuing these weapons with urgency, each citing the other’s programs as justification.
Russian Programs
Russia has deployed or is actively developing multiple hypersonic systems. The Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, mounted atop an ICBM, was declared operational in December 2019. The Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile has been used in combat operations. The Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile is entering service with the Russian Navy.
These systems share a common strategic purpose: circumventing US missile defense. By maintaining hypersonic speed while executing unpredictable maneuvers, they render current midcourse and terminal defense interceptors ineffective. Russia views these capabilities as essential to maintaining strategic stability against what it perceives as a growing US missile defense architecture.
American Programs
The United States has pursued multiple hypersonic development tracks. The Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), the Conventional Prompt Strike system for the Navy, and the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) represent different approaches to hypersonic delivery.
American programs have experienced development challenges, including test failures and schedule delays. However, the industrial base — drawing on expertise from Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman — possesses the technological capacity to field competitive systems.
Strategic Implications
Hypersonic weapons compress decision timelines. Their combination of speed, range, and maneuverability means that targets previously considered defensible — command centers, naval formations, air bases — face dramatically reduced warning and response times. This compression increases the risk of miscalculation during crises, as decision-makers face pressure to act on incomplete information.
Assessment
The hypersonic arms race will accelerate through the remainder of this decade, with both nations fielding multiple operational systems. Arms control efforts should focus on transparency measures — flight test notifications, doctrinal exchanges, and mutual understanding of employment thresholds — rather than attempting to ban weapons that both sides view as essential to their security.