Research and engineering money in U.S. defense budget not enough to defend against hypersonic missiles

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon, Capitol Hill and the White House are worried about the threat posed by hypersonic missiles and how to defend our warfighters and the homeland. The Hill reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

15 April 2019 -- The U.S. Department of Defense and Congress know that in war games, often sponsored by the Pentagon, the United States has always lost when fighting against China and Russia.

While hypersonic missiles are a major reason why, the defense budget before Congress fails to reflect a plan to defend against them either at home or abroad.

In fact, Mike Griffin, the Pentagon’s undersecretary of research and engineering, said on March 20: “If war breaks out tomorrow, we’re probably not going to kill hypersonic boost glide missiles.”

Related: Lockheed Martin hypersonic missile may achieve speeds of 3,800 miles per hour -- or one mile per second

Related: Military researchers seek to counter threats from enemy hypersonic missiles and aircraft

Related: Just in a nick of time: U.S. military researchers finally get serious about Mach 5 hypersonic weapons

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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