The race to develop hypersonic missiles is quickly becoming one of the most defining military issues of our time. These fire-at-will missiles—flying at Mach 5 or higher—do not just speak in terms of raw speed. They’re redefining the way countries think about security, deterrence, and future wars. For America and its friends, staying ahead means investing in the tools, talent, and technology to turn theory into combat capability.
The issue is speed. Hypersonic missiles go more than a mile per second. At that pace, a missile would go 100 miles in under two minutes. That does not leave much time for traditional defense systems to detect it, track it, and respond. It’s a game-changer situation that has led the U.S. Department of Defense to view hypersonics as a priority. New threats aren’t just faster—they’re also smarter, stealthier, and harder to kill.
Leading the charge are two major programs: the Navy’s HALO (Hypersonic Air-Launched Offensive Anti-Surface) and the Air Force’s HACM (Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile). HALO is in development to arm aircraft like the F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-35C with a powerful, long-range anti-ship missile that can be launched from the air. Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are each working on competing designs, with operational capability in the latter part of this decade. The goal is to replace existing missiles with something faster and more powerful at greater ranges.
HACM accomplishes this differently. Powered by a scramjet engine, it’s a hypersonic cruise missile that will launch from planes like the F-15E. It’s being co-developed with Australia through the SCIFiRE program, and it’s already undergoing flight testing at the Woomera Test Range—a remote desert region well-suited to high-speed testing. Woomera’s vast, quiet skies are ideally suited for this new-generation testing, offering the kind of secure environment that’s hard to obtain elsewhere.
Of course, designing something that can fly this quickly is no simple task. A missile moves at hypersonic rates, subjected to extreme heat and pressure. All parts of the airframe, all systems aboard, have to survive a hostile environment. Exotic materials like advanced ceramics and high-temperature composites are used by engineers merely to keep the missile intact in flight. Electronics within have to be shielded and cooled, or they’ll burn out.
Navigation and communication are significant challenges. Because the missile moves so fast, it can ionize the air around it and interfere with radio communications, making it difficult for sensors to work. That is where new technologies come into the picture—engineers are building advanced antennas and sensors that can deal with such an unusual atmosphere. Places like DARPA are attempting to break the limits, building systems that function at temperatures close to 800 degrees Celsius.
Yet another massive challenge? Integration. Presently, some long-range missiles like the LRASM are too large to be mounted inside stealth aircraft like the F-35. That leaves them externally mounted, which ruins the entire stealth idea. With HALO still in the future, engineers are working on developing a hypersonic missile that fits well into the next-gen aircraft, marrying speed with stealth without sacrificing either.
Partnerships have been among the most significant success keys. The joint U.S.-Australian endeavor on SCIFiRE and HACM is exemplary of the way that shared resources—test facilities, engineering teams, and funding—can speed up progress. The isolation of Woomera offers a level of secrecy that’s ideal for testing classified systems. Beyond that, partnerships are growing in other areas, too, including the development of propellant systems and missile defense cooperation.
As hypersonic weapons advance, so does the technology to defeat them. Nations are creating new detection platforms, including space sensors and more advanced radar that can detect hypersonic threats earlier. These platforms, coupled with faster decision-making and stronger command structures, are increasingly critical to the overall defense plan.
Industry is joining the act, too. Companies like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman are applying their long experience in aerospace and missile design to overcome the quagmire of hypersonic flight’s difficult challenges. Laboratory facilities like the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren, which has been working since missile technology’s early days, continue to lead the way in areas like simulation, materials science, and concept development. The test now is to take from thought to reality—in a hurry.
Hypersonic weapons are not just faster missiles—They’re changing the face of military warfare. With the ability to deliver multiple, swift shots from a distance and staying out of most current defenses, they’re an advancement in warfare. As nations continue to develop, the battle to develop, deploy, and counter these weapons could very well set the balance of power in the coming decades.