VOA科学技术2024--What Are Hypersonic Weapons and Which Nations Have Them?

What Are Hypersonic Weapons and Which Nations Have Them?

North Korea announced earlier this week it had carried out a test of a hypersonic weapon attached to a missile. It was not the first time the country has claimed to carry out such a test. North Korean officials announced the first one in 2021.

Several other nations have confirmed they are also developing and testing hypersonic weapons. What are these weapons and which countries have them?

What is a hypersonic weapon?

A hypersonic weapon is designed to fly at superfast speeds equal to at least five times the speed of sound, known as Mach 5. This is about 6,200 kilometers per hour. These weapons are similar to ballistic missiles, which can also reach hypersonic speeds.

But, the difference with hypersonic weapons is that they are highly maneuverable. This means they are easy to direct and control in flight. Ballistic missiles generally have set paths with very little maneuverability. Since the path, or trajectory², of hypersonic weapons can be changed, they are harder to identify. This means they are difficult to destroy with existing missile defense³ systems.

What kinds of hypersonic weapons currently exist?

The two main kinds of hypersonic weapons are hypersonic glide⁴ vehicles and hypersonic cruise missiles.

Hypersonic glide vehicles launch from a rocket. The glide vehicle then separates from the rocket and "glides⁵" at speeds of at least Mach 5 toward a target.

Hypersonic cruise missiles do not have a glide vehicle and are powered by high-speed, air-breathing engines.

How do hypersonic missiles operate?

Hypersonic missiles generally launch warheads at speeds of at least Mach 5 while traveling at fairly low altitudes. Newly developed hypersonic weapons fly higher than less speedy missiles, but lower than intercontinental ballistic missiles. Hypersonic weapons are more difficult to identify and shoot down.

How far along is North Korea's development?

North Korea's first hypersonic missile test, carried out in 2021, used a glider-shaped warhead. Another launch, in 2022, involved what South Korean military officials said was a kind of ballistic missile warhead with maneuverability to hit a target.

North Korean state media said the country's latest launch came on January 14. It aimed to test the performance of a new multistage, solid-fuel engine attached to a hypersonic warhead.

North Korea described the test as a success. South Korean military officials said the missile flew about 1,000 kilometers before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

International experts have said North Korea is interested in hypersonic technology because it can be used to distantly deploy⁶ weapons while avoiding missile defense systems. North Korea could, for example, use such weapons to target U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam.

Who leads the hypersonic race?

The United States, Russia and China are all developing hypersonic weapons. Additional nations are carrying out research, while others have claimed tests that have not been confirmed.

U.S. military and intelligence officials say China is building and testing both hypersonic cruise missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles. U.S. officials say China is believed to have carried out "hundreds" of hypersonic weapons tests between 2016 and 2021.

Reuters reported on one Chinese test in 2021. A hypersonic glide vehicle flew through space and circled the world before heading down toward its target, the news agency said.

Also in 2021, Russia successfully tested a hypersonic cruise missile. President Vladimir Putin described the launch as the start of a new generation of missile systems.

The United States confirmed in September 2021 it had tested an air-breathing hypersonic weapon. The next year, the U.S. military requested $3.8 billion to develop hypersonic weapons, plus another $246.9 million for hypersonic defense research. U.S. hypersonic weapons can be armed with additional warheads.

The Congressional Research Service describes the U.S. Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon as "a ground-launched missile equipped with a hypersonic glide body and associated transport, support, and fire control equipment." The Army says such weapons are designed to "reach the top of Earth's atmosphere" and remain just out of reach of missile defense systems.

Words in This Story

ballistic – adj. of or relating to the motion of projectiles⁷ in flight

maneuver¹ – v. to move with care or skill

glide – v. to move somewhere smoothly⁸ and quietly

multistage – adj. having several successive operating steps

 

associate – v. to relate different things to each other

 

1 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

2 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

5 glides   

n.滑行( glide的名词复数 )；滑音；音渡；过渡音v.滑动( glide的第三人称单数 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The new dance consists of a series of glides. 这种新舞蹈中有一连串的滑步。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The stately swan glides gracefully on the pond. 天鹅在池面上优美地游动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

7 projectiles   

n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器

参考例句：

• These differences are connected with the strong absorption of the composite projectiles. 这些差别与复杂的入射粒子的强烈吸收有关。 来自辞典例句
• Projectiles became more important because cannons could now fire balls over hundreds or yards. 抛射体变得更加重要，因为人们已能用大炮把炮弹射到几百码的距离之外。 来自辞典例句

8 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。