The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been going on for more than two years since the start of the war on February 24, 2022, and as the worst conflict in Europe in decades, Russia has thrown all kinds of weapons into combat, including hypersonic missiles.
["Dagger" missiles carried by fighters]
And the feedback from Russia after using these weapons also gives China a warning: the mainland can reserve 1,000 hypersonic missiles in advance, and if China and the United States go to war, these hypersonic missiles will play a role in determining victory or defeat.
On what basis is this said?
Russia's performance on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield
According to a report by Russia's TASS news agency on September 4, 2023, Russian Su-34 fighter jets have successfully launched a hypersonic missile called "Dagger" in Ukraine.
Previously, the Russian MiG-31K heavy fighter carrying the "Dagger" missile has struck Ukraine's underground ammunition depots, underground gas storage rooms, fuel bases and other strategic points, judging from the results of the strike, hypersonic missiles also have a miraculous effect on reinforced concrete and other fortifications.
[Extranet reported that the "Dagger" damaged the Ukrainian "Patriot"-3 air defense missile system]
The key is that Russia arranged the debut of the hypersonic missile "Dagger" in western Ukraine, which is close to Romania and Hungary, which generously let NATO countries see the strength of hypersonic missiles, and it really shocked NATO.
Hypersonic missiles
So why do hypersonic missiles make so many developed countries smell bad?
Hypersonic missiles are ballistic missiles or cruise missiles that fly in the atmosphere and have a maximum speed of more than Mach 5 and can achieve a large motive.
[Vanguard" hypersonic missile imagination map]
And the three types of hypersonic missiles that Russia is currently more famous for are , and .
NATO countries are afraid because the speed of these missiles can reach more than Mach 10, and the speed of the gliding warhead of the "Avangard" missile can exceed Mach 20.
The "Dagger" missile, which is used in the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, is the only hypersonic missile that can be launched in the air among the weapons currently disclosed in the world, and its launch method is more flexible and the accuracy of hitting is also very high.
【Dagger in flight】
According to Russian reports, hypersonic missiles can evade interception by anti-missile systems and are even called "indefensible superweapons."
Many countries around the world are now working to develop hypersonic missiles and see them as a new generation of weapons that will change the shape of warfare.
Chinese hypersonic missiles
At present, the mainland has a variety of hypersonic missiles such as the Dongfeng-17 and YJ-21.
【Dongfeng 17 at the military parade】
Among them, after the Dongfeng 17 was unveiled at the National Day military parade in 2019, it has always been a weapon in the hearts of Chinese that is enough to kill all sides.
Of course, in addition to the amazing Dongfeng-17, China also has other powerful hypersonic equipment, such as the "Feitian-1" hypersonic vehicle and the Wuzhen-8 hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft.
[China's Wuzhen-8 hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft]
It is no exaggeration to say that the continent's technology in related fields has been at the forefront of the world.
Why stockpile 1000 hypersonic missiles
Although it was mentioned earlier that hypersonic missiles are a "must fight" for the armaments of various countries, there are very few countries that really possess hypersonic missiles now, and the key is that the United States is also lagging behind China and Russia in this regard.
First of all, the United States has not gone well in the development of hypersonic missiles, and has failed several test launches, and it has invested more than China and Russia in related fields, and it has been a long time before it has the current X-51A and other weapons.
[Hypersonic cruise missile
Other countries do not press the table.
Among the three major powers of China, the United States and Russia, only Russia has used hypersonic missiles on the battlefield in Ukraine, and it is the only country in this field with actual combat experience.
Russia also proves that the United States installed it in Ukraine.
And in the international military circles, China's Dongfeng-17 is also considered to be a more powerful existence than the "Dagger".
【Dongfeng-17 missile】
It also gives China a reminder that hypersonic missiles should be a major focus in the consideration of Sino-US relations.
If China has sufficient reserves of hypersonic missiles, even if it goes to war with the United States, then it can use these missiles that can evade the anti-missile system to quickly disintegrate various key strategic points of the United States, so as to achieve the goal of weakening the military strength of the US military.
And the reason why the number of reserves is 1,000 is also because Russia's "Dagger" reserves are not enough, so that they did not maximize the power of "Dagger" on the battlefield.
["Dagger" missiles carried by fighters]
If China and the United States go to war, although the United States will not be able to match China's hypersonic missiles, the country's other military forces should not be underestimated.
On the contrary, assuming that China has enough high-speed ammunition, it will be easier to master the fighter plane after paralyzing the enemy's key nodes at the fastest speed, and even further determine the victory or defeat of the war. This is the so-called "soldier and god speed".
summary
At present, on the track of hypersonic missiles, it can be said that China and Russia have led the world, China's military technology is strong, while Russia has actual combat experience, and the United States is inferior to China and Russia in related technology.
The main thing is that hypersonic missiles, because they are extremely maneuverable, can flexibly change orbits in the air, making it easier to evade the defenses of anti-missile systems.
[Comparison of the trajectory of hypersonic missiles and other missiles]
Therefore, such a weapon will surely be the sword of the country for China to effectively retaliate in the face of the enemy's provocation and aggression.
Resources:
[1] French media: Is the Russian "Dagger" missile really "unmatched"?
[2] The "Dagger", which is known as "uninterceptable", analyzes the Russian "Dagger" hypersonic missile
[3] The Russian Defense Minister responded to "Ukraine claims to have shot down 6 Dagger missiles": They said more than we launched
[4] [China's military power] U.S. media said that China's Dongfeng-17 carries a hypersonic warhead
[5] Japanese media: Japan and the United States plan to spend huge sums of money to jointly develop hypersonic weapon interceptor missiles Xinhuanet
[6] The U.S. military's hypersonic missile is in trouble, Global Times
[7] In the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, what are the cutting-edge weapons in the hands of the Russian army?
[8] The Russian army showed a "big killer" in Ukraine, what signal does the first actual combat of hypersonic weapons send by mankind?