How are the hypersonic missiles with which Russia threatens the United States

The threats made on Wednesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin launch an "immediate" response to "decision centers" in the event that the United States deploys short and long-range missiles in Europe after the fall of the INF Treaty, has become the last scene of an escalation of tensions and an arms race between the two major powers, which keeps the world in suspense.

The Russian leader mentioned the successful launch of an anti-ship missile 3M22 ZirconWhat he badured can reach a speed of Mach 9 (11,110 kilometers at the hour) and a range greater than 1,000 kilometers, but it is not the only hypersonic weapon that the Kremlin develops, and it is not even that of the most surprising features.

Hypersonic missiles are those who move more than five times the speed of sound, ie MACH 5 or 6 174 kilometers per hour, without reaching the extreme capabilities of the most traditional intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

In comparison, the fastest fighter-bombers they fly at a speed close to MACH 2 (2 469 km / h), American Minuteman III ICBMs to MACH 23 (28 400 km / h) and cruise missiles do so at a speed close to MACH 1 (1 234 km / hour).

But beyond the numbers, Hypersonic missiles are characterized by the fact that they are halfway between cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. It is thought that they could define the wars of the future..

Cruise ships, such as American Tomahawks or Russian Kalibr, are generally powered by conventional turbines and are relatively slow and short-range, but very precise because they can perform maneuvers, change course and altitude, and reach their targets from different angles thanks to their advanced navigation systems. They can carry loads of conventional or nuclear explosives.

Because of their low speed, they are vulnerable to fighter planes or missile defense shields like the American Patriot or Thaad or the Russian S-300 and S-400. But, at the same time, their cost is relatively low and they are generally used in large numbers, so their use is usually tactical (ie against military or logistic targets).

Ballistic missiles, short, medium and long range, are rocket propelled, reach extreme speeds and come out of the atmosphere, especially in their ICBM variants (deployed only by Russia, the United States, the United States of America). United Kingdom and North Korea). , China and India), this makes them almost impossible to intercept by any existing defensive system and have an almost planetary reach.

At the same time, their accuracy is much lower because they can not change course or maneuver, but they follow a pre-established route and describe an arc in their path through also extreme distances.

Although some advanced ICBMs have multiple warheads, that is to say in flight, they can launch attacks against different targets, even if their accuracy is so low and their cost so high that their operation is reserved only for nuclear attacks against cities, that is to say a strategic use.

In this context, hypersonic missiles fill a space: although they do not reach the extreme speeds of ballistic missiles, they are fast enough not to be intercepted, but at the same time they can maneuver and change their trajectory like cruise missiles and achieve high levels of accuracy.

Russia is believed to be developing four hypersonic missiles.

Yu-74 Avangard, at the forefront

The most advanced is the Avangard (Vanguard), a denomination Hypersonic aircraft vehicle (heavy weight) which is launched by an ICBM until it leaves the atmosphere (at about 100 kilometers altitude) then resumes its final descent on the target.

After the separation of the ICBM, Avangard can then maneuver freely at a speed of Mach 20 (24 696 kilometers at the hour), to make his trajectory unpredictable.

According to the site of surveillance of the missile threat Missile threat, its range would reach 6,000 kilometers and could carry a two-ton military head with a nuclear capacity of 2 megatons. In other words, it can carry an atomic bomb to a target located 6,000 kilometers in 14 minutes without anticipating its trajectory and with great precision.

(Launch test of an Avangard)

The Avangard, originally known as Project 4202, began to develop in the 1980s Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology and it is thought that it has been tested 14 times between 1990 and 2018.

Putin also badured in 2018 that the missile It had completed its development and would go into production at the Votkinsk plant, located in the city of the same name and historically dedicated to ballistic missiles, reaching Russian arsenals in 2019.

The anti-ship missile 3M22 Zircon

More limited in its capabilities and role, Zircon referenced Wednesday by Putin began to be developed in the 1990s and It is an anti-ship missile that can be launched by airplanes, submarines, surface ships and even ground.

It is estimated that its maximum speed is MACH 6 or 7,400 kilometers at the hour with a range of 600 kilometers, and Moscow ensures that because of his maneuverability, he can overcome any defense offered by Western powersaccording to the reports of Missile threat.

Zircon was developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya in Reutov, Western Russia, An old Soviet society responsible for many military missiles and space vehicles during the Cold War. It is part of the Tactical Missile Coporation located in Moscow.

The flexible KH-47M2 Kinzhal

This hypersonic missile with nuclear capability It was designed to be launched from an airplane, and eventually developed from the Iskander-M, according to Missile threat.

Like these, it is thought that it could be used by Mig-31 fighter-bombers or also by Tu-22M bombers, but unlike Iskander-M, it could reachr speeds up to MACH 10 (12,348 km / h) and maneuvers in flight.

Kinzhal's range (Dagger, in Russian) is estimated at nearly 2,000 kilometers, but precisely being launched from an airplane could be bigger, while its deployment becomes much more flexible.

Its warhead has a weight of 480 kilograms and may include tactical nuclear weapons, that is to say of a limited destructive power.

According to the Russian agency Tbad, It has been successfully tested and entered into service in 2017, before being formally introduced by Putin in 2018.. Although it is not known exactly who manufactures them, the production of their predecessors, the Iskander-M, is also carried out at the Votkinsk plant.

The oldest Russian hypersonic missile is the Kh-90, known in the West as the AS-X-19 Koala. Its design began in 1976 as a clbadic cruise missile capable of achieving high speeds.

It was also thought to be launched from combat aircraft, using in particular the Tu-95 bomber, although over time it has expanded its deployment to submarines, ships and even land platforms.

According to the organization Global security, the Kh-90 reached speeds close to MACH 4 (4,940 kilometers at the time), but it was reported that it went up to MACH 10 (12,348 kilometers at the time), with an autonomy of 3,000 kilometers and a capacity to transport nuclear charges.

Its development was affected by lack of funds during the 1990s and after the fall of the Soviet Union. we do not know if it is still used by Russia. Like Zircon, it was made in NPO Mashinostroyeniya.