Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress

Abstract

The United States has actively pursued the development of hypersonic weapons maneuvering weapons that fly at speeds of at least Mach 5 as a part of its conventional prompt global strike program since the early 2000s. In recent years, the United States has focused such efforts on developing hypersonic glide vehicles, which are launched from a rocket before gliding to a target, and hypersonic cruise missiles, which are powered by high-speed, air-breathing engines during flight. As former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Commander of U.S. Strategic Command General John Hyten has stated, these weapons could enable responsive, long-range, strike options against distant, defended, and/or time-critical threats [such as road-mobile missiles] when other forces are unavailable, denied access, or not preferred. Critics, on the other hand, contend that hypersonic weapons lack defined mission requirements, contribute little to U.S. military capability, and are unnecessary for deterrence.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 17, 2022
Accession Number
AD1163968

Entities

People

  • Kelly M. Sayler

Organizations

  • Congressional Research Service

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Boost Glide Vehicles
  • Congress
  • Conventional Prompt Strike
  • Defense Systems
  • Department Of Defense
  • Hypersonic Cruise Missiles
  • Hypersonic Glide Vehicles
  • Hypersonic Missiles
  • Hypersonic Weapons
  • National Security
  • Prompt Global Strike
  • Rockets
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Facilities
  • United States
  • United States Northern Command
  • United States Strategic Command
  • Warfare
  • Wind Tunnels

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Missile Defense Systems.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Hypersonics