Mar 31, 2023

Andrew Reddie: Alarm Over Hypersonic Missiles Misplaced?

From Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Why the alarm over Russia’s use of hypersonic missiles in Ukraine is misplaced

By Andrew Reddie

Early in March, news outlets reported that almost a year after Russia first used Kinzhal (Kh-47M2) hypersonic missiles in Ukraine, Moscow had used six more of its hypersonic weapons as part of a particularly severe attack that also included Kh-22 anti-ship missiles, S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, and Iranian Shahed drones. Of note, Ukraine’s theater missile defense could not prevent the six Kinzhal missiles—among many of the other missile variants—from getting to their targets. The missile fusillade ultimately caused at least nine civilian deaths.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this attack led to a substantial increase in reporting about hypersonics, with coverage from the BBCNew York TimesWashington PostCNN, and NPR among other outlets. The alarmism captured in this reporting indicates the broader misunderstanding concerning the characteristics of hypersonic weapons that matter in both the Ukraine context and (as I wrote earlier in the Bulletin) the broader strategic context involving Washington, Moscow, and Beijing.

This alarmism has two strands...

Read more...

Andrew Reddie is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the School of Information as well as founder and director of the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab. 

Last updated: April 11, 2023