Missile defense

UST IN: Pentagon Looking at New Interceptor to Defeat Hypersonic Missiles

The Pentagon is considering acquiring new interceptors to shoot down enemy hypersonic missiles, the director of the Missile Defense Agency said Feb. 1.

Hypersonic weapons such as those being pursued by China and Russia pose a unique challenge to existing U.S. missile defense systems because they are much faster than conventional cruise missiles — flying at speeds of Mach 5 or faster — and are more maneuverable than ballistic missiles that follow a predictable flight path.

Pentagon officials have been sounding the alarm about the emerging threat. It was featured prominently in the Trump administration’s new missile defense review that was released last month, and Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin has said countering hypersonics is one of his top priorities.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, the head of the Missile Defense Agency, said the Pentagon is looking at options.

“The agency … has completed an analysis of alternatives looking at hypersonic defense, of which fast interceptors are part of that solution. They are one option,” he said during a Q&A session at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.