(WatchDogReport.org) – The development of hypersonic missile systems changed the international arms race the moment they became possible. A hypersonic missile system’s main purpose is to deliver a payload faster than a defensive system can move to stop it. Russia, having successfully tested its version, wants the world to know it’s ready and willing to use it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin personally oversaw the tests of his country’s Kinzhal and Tsirkon hypersonic missiles from a situation center at the Kremlin. The missiles travel at an astonishing Mach five on average, which is more than five times faster than a US Navy Tomahawk.
There’s no defense system on Earth currently capable of stopping a hypersonic missile.
Even with progress in reducing nuclear weapon arsenals since the Cold War, the world’s combined inventory of nuclear warheads remains at a very high level:
As of mid-2021 Nine states possessed roughly 13,150 warheads. #sri #Warheads #Military #Arsenals #Infograph #GeoPlitics pic.twitter.com/MgyYQoHxfq
— SRI (@SRI_org) February 23, 2022
Putin’s willingness to deploy his nation’s deadliest weapons, along with the announcement that the Russian military is stockpiling medical supplies (including blood), is a message President Joe Biden has received. The president acknowledged Putin’s bold maneuvers and told reporters that you don’t stock blood “unless you’re going to war.”
Russia is currently taking the position it’s a peacekeeping force for two countries that have declared independence from Ukraine, a claim the Biden administration calls untrue. The bulk of NATO countries take the same stance, with the UK moving troops and equipment into Poland.
Ultimately, the situation could erupt into the worst conflict in Europe since WWII, and some are comparing the use of hypersonic missiles as the next Cuban Missile Crisis.
Copyright 2022, WatchDogReport.org
