Defense industry finds a growth market in offensive hypersonic weapons to neutralize global targets

ARLINGTON, Va. – In a recent gathering at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia, two of the Pentagon's highest-ranking weapons buyers sent a clear message to a packed room of defense executives. Stars and Stripes reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

3 Jan. 2019 -- America is racing Russia and China to develop worldwide offensive hypersonic weapons that can reach anywhere in the world within hours, they said, and it's time for American defense contractors to move from science and research to full-scale production of those systems.

Hypersonic systems can travel many times the speed of sound, or more than a mile per second. If fielded, they could enable the U.S. military to neutralize targets anywhere on Earth in little more than an hour.

Officials have suggested that such a capability could be used to quickly destroy a hostile nation's nuclear launch sites, or conduct precision strikes against leaders of terrorist organizations. The Army, Navy and Air Force each have separate programs to develop and field them under an effort known as Prompt Global Strike.

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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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