The hypersonic arms race: how Russia’s new missiles are part of the 20,000mph military revolution

As the world enters 2020 on dramatically increased geopolitical tension, there was an extra chill to the boast coming from Moscow that Russia had deployed its "Avangard" hypersonic missile.



A US concept rendering of a boost-glide vehicle and 'air-breathing' scramjet powered hypersonic missile Credit: Northrup Grumman



President Putin claimed that the super-fast weapon, believed to be located in the Urals mountain range in Western Russia, can deliver warheads at 27 times the speed of sound and is essentially unstoppable. 

"Not a single country possesses hypersonic weapons, let alone continental-range hypersonic weapons," he said, claiming that the West was now "playing catch-up".

"The Avangard is invulnerable to intercept by any existing and prospective missile defence means of the potential adversary."