Why India’s successful hypersonic missile test could be a ‘game changer’

India has successfully flight-tested its first long-range hypersonic missile, a major boost to its military prowess that puts the country in a select group of nations that have the capability to develop such “critical and advanced military technologies”, according to defence minister Rajnath Singh.Hypersonic missiles can strike with extreme speed and evade most air-defence systems.The test was conducted from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha at 6.55pm on November 16, a defence ministry official said.The missile, designed to carry various payloads for ranges over 1,500-km, was tracked by various range systems deployed in multiple domains. “The flight data obtained from down range ship stations confirmed the successful terminal manoeuvres and impact with high degree of accuracy,” the official added.medium nocaption115471253What is a hypersonic missile?A hypersonic missile can fly at a speed of Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) and above. Objects flying at speeds between Mach 1.5 and 5 are called supersonic.Hypersonic missiles are difficult to intercept by conventional air defence systems because of their speed, manoeuvrability and flight paths.Unlike ballistic missiles, which follow a fixed trajectory, hypersonic missiles fly at lower altitudes and can change course mid-flight, which makes them harder to detect by radar. medium nocaption109476898Why it’s a ‘game-changer’Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the missile flew at Mach 6 speed during the trial. Former DRDO chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy, told TOI’s Rajat Pandit that the new missile was “a game-changer” with multiple applications in the Army, Navy and Indian Air Force. “Having a missile of this range with hypersonic velocities will provide a decisive edge to India,” he said.The new weapon, with the speed of a ballistic missile as well as the manoeuvring capability of a cruise missile, of course, will have to be fine-tuned with several tests over the next few years before it is ready for production and deployment. The naval version will be geared towards destroying enemy warships at long ranges with pinpoint precision, an official said. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA8bLZguOVkIndia’s tryst with hypersonic techHypersonic weapons have become a major focus area for major military powers. The two main types of hypersonic weapons are cruise missiles that are powered by air-breathing engines or “scramjets” during their entire flight and “glide vehicles” that are launched atop ballistic missiles before gliding to their targets at speeds over Mach 5.In June 2019, DRDO had for the first time tested a hypersonic technology demonstrator vehicle (HSTDV), which was to serve as a crucial building block in the development of long-range hypersonic weapons. But the flight trial had failed.The second test in September 2020 was successful to the extent that the scramjet-powered “cruise vehicle” or HSTDV flew for 22-23 seconds at Mach 6 speed after separation from the “launch vehicle” (a solid rocket motor of an Agni-I ballistic missile) at a 30-km altitude. While another HSTDV test was conducted in January last year, flight trials of a much longer duration are required on this front.BrahMos-II: Joint venture with RussiaIndia and Russia are jointly working on a hypersonic version of the BrahMos missile, tentatively named BrahMos-II.The existing BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile, which flies at Mach 2.8 speed with a 450-km strike range. You can read more one the missile in the graphic. medium nocaption109475267According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the two countries, BrahMos-II will be based on a hypersonic scramjet technology. The main purpose of such a weapon is to target deeply buried enemy nuclear bunkers and heavily protected locations. This missile is designed to achieve a speed of Mach 8 and have a range of 1,500kms.All three military services will utilise this weapon.According to military analysts, BrahMos-II could mean greatly reduced reaction time for air defences and a capability to attack large, deep and hardened targets.A global raceRussia and China are ahead of the US in designing aerodynamically manoeuvrable hypersonic weapons for use with nuclear warheads. Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia reportedly hit Kyiv with the hypersonic Zircon missile in the first week of February. The Zircon has a range of 1,000 km and travels at nine times the speed of sound.In 2022, Russia claimed to have deployed Kinzhal (also known as the ‘Dagger’) hypersonic missiles against Ukraine. “The Kinzhal aviation missile system with hypersonic aeroballistic missiles destroyed a large underground warehouse containing missiles and aviation ammunition in the village of Deliatyn in the Ivano-Frankivsk region,” Russian defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov had stated.In July 2021, China’s test of a nuclear-capable missile carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle and warhead had sent shockwaves around the globe.The US is actively pursuing hypersonic technology under an ambitious programme. Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin received a $756 million contract to advance the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system.Several other countries, including France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Iran and Israel, are also pursuing similar projects.According to Gen. John Hyten, former Commander of US Strategic Command, these weapons enable “responsive, long-range strike options against distant, defended, or time-critical threats [such as road-mobile missiles] when other forces are unavailable, denied access, or not preferred.”With inputs from Rajat Pandit and agencies