China and Russia's 'Hypersonic Missile' Threat... US's 'Hawk Catching Pheasant' Coming Soon [Reading Science]

Development of 'Glide Breaker' to Intercept Hypersonic Missiles Above Mach 5 Accelerates
Phase 2 Research Begins for Vehicle Design Following Phase 1 Propulsion Development

Conceptual diagram of the hypersonic missile interception system being developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the U.S. Department of Defense.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] "To catch a pheasant, use a hawk." As China, Russia, and North Korea have introduced hypersonic missiles?unresponsive to existing weapon systems?as the 'game changer' of future warfare, the United States has begun full-scale development of an interception system to counter them.

According to the U.S. space specialist media Space.com on the 12th, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the U.S. Department of Defense announced on the 15th of last month that it has entered the second phase of research and development for the hypersonic missile interception system called the 'Glide Breaker Program.'

Hypersonic missiles have a top speed exceeding Mach 5, can freely change their flight path mid-flight, and sustain continuous atmospheric flight, making them impossible to counter with any existing interception system. There are two types: hypersonic cruise missiles using ramjet or scramjet propulsion, and hypersonic glide vehicles that attach a glider-type body to ballistic missiles. They can deliver a fatal blow to enemies like the U.S., which operates combat systems centered around aircraft carriers where power is concentrated at specific points. Recently, Russia (Avangard missile) and China (DF-ZF) have declared completion of development, and even North Korea (Hwasong-8) is developing such weapons, making them the ultimate weapon in the 'anti-U.S. holy war.'

Accordingly, the U.S. is striving to respond. Although it is already developing its own offensive hypersonic missiles, it has faced difficulties with several failures. It is also intensifying efforts to develop systems to intercept opponents' hypersonic missiles. DARPA began phase one research in 2018, developing a Directional and Attitude Control System (DACS) that allows an interceptor to engage hypersonic missiles during the glide phase. In this second phase, the plan is to conduct focused experiments to verify whether such systems operate properly?that is, whether the propulsion system can fly stably and be controlled in real environments?and proceed to design an interceptor capable of actual flight.

In an official statement, DARPA said, "In phase one, we developed propulsion technology capable of striking and destroying fast-moving hypersonic missiles," adding, "In phase two, we will focus on increasing technical understanding of jet interactions necessary to design the interceptor." DARPA plans to produce interceptor models and, through wind tunnel and flight tests, design a flying vehicle that can charge at speeds exceeding actual hypersonic speeds to destroy enemy hypersonic missiles while maintaining free and stable control.