Q. Consider the following statements about hypersonic missile:
1. These are able to travel at velocities of at least five times the speed of sound — Mach 5.
2. India recently became 4th nation to possess a hypersonic missile.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: A
Notes:
What is a hypersonic missile?
- Hypersonics are defined as being able to travel at velocities of at least five times the speed of sound — Mach 5, or more than 6,100 kilometres (3,800 miles) per hour.
- They can also manoeuvre in mid-flight, making them much harder to track and intercept than traditional projectiles.
- By cutting flight times, they also reduce the opportunity to respond.
- Depending on the design, they can be capable of carrying nuclear warheads or conventional only, and have the potential to alter the strategic balance.
Which countries possess them?
Russia, USA and China
- Russia is generally seen as the world leader in technology so far, developing a range of new hypersonic weapons that
- In July it successfully tested the Zircon, a ship-launched hypersonic missile travelling at seven times the speed of sound.
- It already has Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles and the air-launched Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles in its arsenal.
Source: The Hindu
