Quick reminder that hypersonic weapons are not in any way new. Most ballistic missiles reach hypersonic speeds, the V2 rocket used by Nazi Germany in WW2 very n

Quick reminder that hypersonic weapons are not in any way new. Most ballistic missiles reach hypersonic speeds, the V2 rocket used by Nazi Germany in WW2 very nearly reached hypersonic speeds. ICBMs generally go above Mach 20. What is new here is an "air-breathing" cruise missile traveling at hypersonic speeds. It's not traveling in a ballistic arc, or gliding after a boost phase, but actually reaching hypersonic speeds "under its own power" so to speak. No weapon actually fielded today does that, though several countries are developing it (including the US, Russia with the Zircon missile, and India with the BrahMos-II).