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By hypersonic weapons, do you mean missiles? Are they even useful? To follow the curvature of the earth, they have fly higher than a subsonic cruise missile,

By hypersonic weapons, do you mean missiles? Are they even useful? To follow the curvature of the earth, they have fly higher than a subsonic cruise missile, making them fairly easy to spot. Not sure how hard they are to shoot down.

ceejayoz 5y ago
> Not sure how hard they are to shoot down. Judging from anti-ballistic missile efforts, quite hard.
bumby 5y ago
>Are they even useful? Potentially, yes. For example, for the same reasons you list, they are capable of being used in space-defense, like anti-satellite or ballistic defense.
enkid 5y ago
Something going mach 5+ is going to be extremely difficult to shoot down. Typically, they boost up to high altitudes then come back down to lower altitudes to actually strike the target (boost glide). Looks like the air force is also developing a cruise missile which would fly at lower altitudes.
- sudosysgen 5y ago
  It's not that hard to hit something going Mach 5 or so at high altitude. That translates to speeds of just over 5000km/h. The really hard thing is to hit targets that go close to orbital velocity (for example when trying to hit a hypersonic missile going 11 000km/h+ or a ballistic missile going 20 000km/h.
colechristensen 5y ago
Flying very high and very fast poses timing challenges, in order to shoot it down you have to see it, make the decision to shoot it down, and then have an interceptor which is fast enough to make up for the detection lag, get to altitude, and get to location. For something that could cross the continental US in a half hour or less, you can imagine there is not a lot of room for delay.
- sudosysgen 5y ago
  Modern SAM systems are made to launch in less than 15 seconds after detection. Their missiles go 2km/s+, and they are made to detect targets from 400km+ away. The SR-72 would not be the most difficult target they are built to engage.
mlyle 5y ago
> Are they even useful? Being able to see or attack something thousands of miles away within the hour is very useful.

ceejayoz 5y ago

> Not sure how hard they are to shoot down. Judging from anti-ballistic missile efforts, quite hard.

bumby 5y ago

>Are they even useful? Potentially, yes. For example, for the same reasons you list, they are capable of being used in space-defense, like anti-satellite or ballistic defense.

enkid 5y ago

Something going mach 5+ is going to be extremely difficult to shoot down. Typically, they boost up to high altitudes then come back down to lower altitudes to actually strike the target (boost glide). Looks like the air force is also developing a cruise missile which would fly at lower altitudes.

sudosysgen 5y ago
It's not that hard to hit something going Mach 5 or so at high altitude. That translates to speeds of just over 5000km/h. The really hard thing is to hit targets that go close to orbital velocity (for example when trying to hit a hypersonic missile going 11 000km/h+ or a ballistic missile going 20 000km/h.

colechristensen 5y ago

Flying very high and very fast poses timing challenges, in order to shoot it down you have to see it, make the decision to shoot it down, and then have an interceptor which is fast enough to make up for the detection lag, get to altitude, and get to location. For something that could cross the continental US in a half hour or less, you can imagine there is not a lot of room for delay.

sudosysgen 5y ago
Modern SAM systems are made to launch in less than 15 seconds after detection. Their missiles go 2km/s+, and they are made to detect targets from 400km+ away. The SR-72 would not be the most difficult target they are built to engage.

mlyle 5y ago

> Are they even useful? Being able to see or attack something thousands of miles away within the hour is very useful.