Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
Over the past couple of years Putin and the Russian Defense Ministry have greatly hyped their hypersonic weapons program, even semi-frequently releasing images and videos of hypersonic missiles prototypes in action. China too has over the past months touted that it’s testing hypersonic surface-to-surface missiles which US officials fear could significantly shift the balance of power in the Pacific region.
And now the Pentagon has announced its own classified hypersonics program will undergo a “very aggressive” expansion over the course of the next year.
Rendering of DARPA’s Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon Concept, via Raytheon/Defense News
Citing defense officials in a new report, Bloomberg reports this includes plans for at least “four initial flight tests of prototypes for glide bombs that can fly five times the speed of sound and maneuver en route,” and further extra funding and research under the newly established Hypersonics Transition Office.
In official statements last Friday Defense Secretary Mark Esper appeared to peripherally reference the program while previewing that the next Pentagon budget proposal will be aimed at drastically increasing funding for experimental and cutting edge defense technology, surpassing the already bloated current 5-year $5 billion budget. He referenced a developing “great-power competition” with China.
“We have significantly ramped up flight testing and other experimentation so that we can accelerate the delivery of this capability — in all its forms — to our warfighters years earlier than previously planned,” Esper said.
Among the few specifics that Bloomberg was able to glean from top officials, include the following plans:
- Frequent testing efforts: Mike White, the Defense Department’s assistant director for hypersonics, said “We have plans to fly prototypes for land-, sea- and air-launched concepts being developed across our portfolio.”
- The Navy, Army and Air Force, along with the Pentagon’s special advanced research agency, are all developing hypersonics.
- Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are deeply involved as the prime contractors.
- The Army is working on a “Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon”.
- Schools like Purdue, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and the University of Minnesota are set to receive major Congressional funding grants to pursue research into hypersonics.
White said this year will mark a significant transition where design and weapons concepts will “have been matured” as actual testing ramps up past the mere development phase, much of which was set in place in 2017 and 2018.
The Pentagon is clearly reacting to the advancing programs of China and Russia, given that alarmingly these weapons “are hard to stop, they can maneuver, they’re unpredictable” and “hard to detect” so “you don’t have a lot of time” to respond — as White explained further, according to the report.
It must be remembered that a 2018 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned that the current ballistic missile defense system in the US is powerless against hypersonic missiles from China and Russia.
This must be a joke seriously, they’re 20 years behind Russia in missile technology. By the time the num nuts develop one, if they’re still able to that is, the Russian s and even the North Koreans will have something 20 years more advanced. The U.S is on the verge of an economic collapse greater than anyone can imagine, developing better weapons will be a distant memory.
You need Windex for your crystal ball, kid.
It’s hard, kiddo, isn’t it, to have to face the facts. But for the likes of you it’s much more comfortable to keep your head buried deep in the sand.
The US is a very arrogant country and is not happy if other countries have something more powerful and can rival them. Imagine what will happen to them when the dollar collapses. They will be left alone without anyone wanting to care about them anymore because in their heyday they have created many enemies. Even countries that are considered good friends like Britain and France have started to keep their distance from the US. The US is like a toothless tiger that is dying, many vultures that surround and wait for it to fall. They will tear the US apart like paper.
The U.S is a banana republic, Zimbabwe style. The Federal reserve monetises all the new money creation. Collapse coming on a scale that will be in the history books. They can only dream about hypersonic weapons equivalent to Russia.
You really see quite the fantasies at the bottom of your Vodka ration bottle, Igor.
USA is useless just like Trump it is soon going to be wiped out by single simple Corona virus missile.Soon we are going to apply one China 1000000 dead USA puppets.
It’s hard, kiddo, isn’t it, to have to face the facts. For the likes of you it’s much more comfortable to keep your head buried deep in the sand.
You have such delusional and demented wet dreams, junior.
Hello Joke! Of course, you are a senior, senior at Hasbara Headquarters. Are you one of the mentors who trained some hasbara trolls to become keyboard warriors on this site? I just want to say their performance was very bad. Can’t you teach them better so they aren’t laughed at here? Oh wait, your own performance is getting worse, it’s worth it they are also stupid like you. Ok Joke, now is there another joke that can make us laugh?
You should send this reply to the über-Hasbara chief: Gilad Erdad. He needs to upgrade the hard disk of each of his hasbara zombie drones.
Kiddo, it’s hard, isn’t it, to have to face the facts. For the likes of you it’s much more comfortable to keep your head buried deep in the sand.
Oh my dog! Zion_Moron and Jake 321 are opposed to your opinion, are you not upset? ?
After a few days of silence, finally the Zionist trolls returned to this site to play their circus. It seems that they have just finished attending the “tactics and strategy change meeting” at Hasbara Headquarters. This meeting was held because their performance a few days ago was very bad. Let’s see what new tactics they have learned in the meeting. Whether it will be able to make us more entertained or still the same as yesterday.
Very wise comment with profound truth.
What the arrogant US is left with, is a lot of “Hyped” statements. 2 years ago the US made fun of Putin for stating that Russia was developing hypersonic weapons and that there where 6 programs in different developing stages….and 1 hypersonic weapon was almost complete. Last years the US again made fun of Putin when he presented a video showing the hypersonic ( Dagger) on the Mi- 31. At least 1 regiment Mi-31 is now armed with the Dagger Several more programs are now in production and Russia is at least 1 generation ahead.
And if they ever used it against the US, Russia would be no more nor most of the Earth. But great that Putz Putin wants to accelerate not only useless missiles but the bankruptcy of Russia.
your a looser, al your comments are pathetic.
How cute, your girlfriend Iron_Zion is the only one giving you a like ;}
Hey kiddo, it’s hard, isn’t it, to have to face the facts. For the likes of you it’s much more comfortable to keep your head buried deep in the sand.
Goody, goody, a new arms race. The US can easily afford it. China can handle it. But Putz Putin’s residual RF can’t and will go the way of that great and glorious Russian loser, the thankfully now dead Soviet Empire. Well, they might continue with the Russian People living like the North Koreans.
The U.S. has a debt to GDP ratio of 110% ($23 trillions) and $1.1 trillion deficits. (i.e it’s revenues don’t match it’s expenditures)
The U.S. can’t afford freight bridges let alone hypersonics.
Pax America is the next Empire to go the same way as the USSR did. (the economics simply don’t add up)
If we conquer just either Russia or China then we won! That’s why we are doing it. Because America is going to win this battle. We won, we are winning and we will win because America is the space future technology.
The only thing U.S. is heading towards is bankruptcy and civil war.
They will be lucky to win back their Republic from what is a collapsing Empire.
We won, we are winning and we will win Make up your mind, witch one is it?
Damnit you’re high again Tommy….
You are right, but for that very 1st word: IF. That, in English, is a conditional, and in this case, kiddo, the condition physically cannot be fulfilled. I agree with you that for your kind it is more comfortable to believe the fairy tales you hear in the MSM.
Actually Russia is in the best shape of them all with $500 billion is cash and gold and almost no debt. And they already have the best weapons in key areas. You’ve been hammered once recently in the Golan. Getting out of the occupied territories before you get hit again would be a good idea.
Well now, kiddo, it really is hard, isn’t it, to have to face the facts. For the likes of you it’s much more comfortable to keep your head buried deep in the sand.
yes, i have been told the scientists and engineers have been ordered to get angry and yell at the missiles in order to make them go faster hahahaha
This is not the only thing we have. These programmes are official programmes.
Then we also have our classified deep secret programmes carried out under the Space future modern photonic special advanced research agency.
This agency has an unlimited $ budget to create US outer space plasma laser precision weapons ready to hit multiple targets around the globe at the same time within 1cm accuracy.
If I were China and Russia I would immediately change behaviour and ask America for friendship and leave my aggressive dictatorship style of gobbling landmasses and hoarding gold for myself.
They also have a program where 1 in 2 American men will get cancer and 1 in 3 American woman shall too, in their lifetimes.
Suicide rates inside of America have risen by 40% from 1990 levels. (56% increase in young Americans)
A society in distress.
Lol………Space future modern photonic special ultra advanced research agency. Are you in charge of that secret agency?
Yes he is, but it’s a secret.
Didn’t you know the Danes have that? My, you really are ill-informed. LOL.
Not the only thin “we” have? Please tell us what sort of thing the Danes have to take on the Russians.
The USSA will go bankrupt with this arms race. MIC isn’t working for the people. They are in it for the bucks. There is no money in peace or solving a problem. There is an unlimited font of money for working on solutions to scary problems .