Dear media, stop saying, “hypersonic,” like it is some big deal. Nearly every missile system that is in any way useful meets that criteria. It’s akin to a headline discussing “edible” food.
It used to be that when people talked about hypersonic missiles it was understood to mean hypersonic cruise missile, something that could hug terrain and maneuver. Then Russia and China came out with “hypersonic” missiles that were just ballistic with maybe some minor maneuverability so the term doesn’t mean anything until you dig deeper.
Dear media, stop saying, “hypersonic,” like it is some big deal. Nearly every missile system that is in any way useful meets that criteria. It’s akin to a headline discussing “edible” food.
It used to be that when people talked about hypersonic missiles it was understood to mean hypersonic cruise missile, something that could hug terrain and maneuver. Then Russia and China came out with “hypersonic” missiles that were just ballistic with maybe some minor maneuverability so the term doesn’t mean anything until you dig deeper.