Russia Deploys Hypersonic Weapon, Potentially Renewing Arms Race
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Weapon, Potentially Renewing Arms Race
The new Russian weapon system flies at superfast speeds and can evade traditional missile defense systems. The United States is trying to catch up.
By Julian E. Barnes and David E. Sanger
Dec. 27, 2019, 7:06 p.m. ET
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/us/politics/russia-hypersonic-weapon.html?action=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage
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WASHINGTON — The Russian military on Friday said it had deployed a hypersonic weapon that flies at superfast speeds and can easily evade American missile defense systems, potentially setting off a new chapter in the long arms race between the world’s pre-eminent nuclear powers.
American officials said Friday they have little doubt that the Russians have a working hypersonic weapon — which sits on top of a modified missile and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead at speeds faster than 3,800 miles per hour.
Moscow has been working on the technology for years and has invested heavily in it, determined to reverse the pattern in the Cold War, when it was often struggling to catch up with American nuclear weapons systems. If the new system, called “Avangard,” works as President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia boasted when he described the weapon a year ago, it would significantly enhance Moscow’s already powerful nuclear forces, American officials said.
Hypersonic weapons fly extremely fast and can maneuver along unpredictable trajectories, making them incredibly difficult for current systems to track, much less shoot down. Senior American military officials said the United States plans to deploy its own hypersonic weapons by 2022, but some experts believe that schedule may prove optimistic.
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