The Diplomat:

Are hypersonics all hype?

A new article by Dr. Cameron L. Tracy of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Global Security program, and Dr. David Wright of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, in the journal Science and Global Security, calls into question whether hypersonics have the technical qualities to make an impact on the strategic balance of power. These questions come at a time when China, Russia, and the United States have all loudly embarked on hypersonic programs, the latter promising to install hypersonic weapons on an array of surface warships and submarines. In part because of this, the manuscript has received serious attention from mainstream media institutions such as the New York Times, which published a summary and interpretation of its findings.

Analysts, abetted in some cases by military personnel, have worried about the impact that hypersonics could have on nuclear and conventional readiness. The name implies a speed of attack that reduces reaction time, and the novelty of the platform suggests that the weapons can evade existing defenses. Hypersonic weapons have also been decried for their destabilizing effect on nuclear security, as onlookers cannot discern the launch points and targets of the weapons as easily as ballistic missiles. China, for example, might misinterpret the launch of a hypersonic weapon targeting Iran as a first strike, based on the weapon’s unpredictable behavior…

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