Following successful test, India joins global powers with hypersonic technology

By Global Watch and AFP | 2024-11-25

Nuclear-armed India tested its first hypersonic missile on November 17, joining a small group of nations -- the United States, Russia, China and North Korea -- that also have tested this technology.

Hypersonics are the new frontier in missile technology, because they fly lower and are harder to detect than ballistic missiles, can reach targets more quickly and can be ordered to change target in mid-flight.

"India has achieved a major milestone by successfully conducting flight trial of long range hypersonic missile," Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh said in a statement.

The test flight came days after rival and neighbor China showcased its expanding aviation capabilities at an airshow, with the J-35A stealth fighter jet and attack drones displayed.

That, according to China's state media, included the debut of the HQ-19 surface-to-air missile system, designed to intercept ballistic missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles.

Video images released by India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), showed a slender missile blasting into the night sky followed by a surge of flames.

"This is a historic moment and this significant achievement has put our country in the group of select nations having capabilities of such critical and advanced military technologies," Singh added.

New Delhi has deepened defense cooperation with Western countries in recent years, including in the Quad alliance with the United States, Japan and Australia.

Nuclear capable

While the United States has largely focused on designing its hypersonic weapons with conventional warheads, Russia and China are believed to have fielded nuclear capable hypersonic glide vehicles, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) published in August.

China has tested the Starry Sky-2 (or Xing Kong2), a nuclear-capable hypersonic vehicle prototype, the report said, citing US officials.

Beijing claimed the prototype reached top speeds of Mach 6 and executed a series of in-flight maneuvers before landing. According to some estimates, the prototype could be operational by 2025.

China has also tested the DF-41 intercontinental missile, which could be modified to carry a conventional or nuclear hypersonic glide vehicle.

For its part, Russia is pursuing two hypersonic weapon programs -- the Avangard and the 3M22 Tsirkon (or Zircon) -- and has reportedly fielded the Kinzhal (Dagger), a maneuvering air-launched ballistic missile.

The Avangard is a hypersonic glide vehicle launched from an intercontinental ballistic missile that features onboard countermeasures and will reportedly carry a nuclear warhead.

Meanwhile, the Kinzhal, a maneuvering air-launched ballistic missile modified from the Iskander missile, could eventually be fitted with a nuclear warhead.

It is reportedly capable of maneuverable flight, as well as of striking both ground and naval targets.

Russia also recently launched a new, experimental "hypersonic" medium-range ballistic missile named Oreshnik ("Hazel") in an attack on Dnipro.