It also shot down Russian hypersonic missiles [1]. I don't know which variant [2] we sent Kyiv, but this is almost certainly an old PATRIOT battery taking out "cutting edge" Russian hypersonics.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/air-defence-systems-rep...
[2] https://www.armyrecognition.com/united_states_american_missi...
It is hypersonic, but it follows a very predictable high-altitude trajectory, so it's the easiest kind of hypersonic missile to intercept.
I read a good thread about the various kinds of hypersonics a while ago, but can't find it now. Broadly, there are three classes: hypersonic cruise missiles (like Tomahawk but much faster), hypersonic glide vehicles (basically ballistic missile warheads with wings), and classical ballistic missiles. It's the former two which are new and scary. This touches on it, but is rather one-sided: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2023/05/23/u...
I think the deal with the Avengard (and the US C-HGB as used on the soon-to-be-deployed LRHW) is bigger wings / lifting body giving it greater maneuvering capacity through a flatter flight phase trading more of its speed for lateral displacement than earlier maneuverable ballistic missile warheads.
> rocket launched into orbital flight, which later re-entered the atmosphere and released a maneuverable glide vehicle travelling at hypersonic speeds
https://www.apln.network/analysis/policy-briefs/chinese-frac...
You're absolutely correct, by the way. And that's the author's point. (Which I've been partial towards for a long time.) Hypersonic missiles are not the game changer they're claimed to be, and to the degree they open new tactical ground, the United States is well set to at the very least match adversaries' capabilities.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_%27super_weapons%27
You forgot "Kiev says".
it's simply the bayesian prior at this point; the null hypothesis
The first day of war: Ukraine says that Russian warship killed with missiles all Ukranian border guards on the Zmeiniy island. Everyone is shocked by this senseless cruelty. Russian MoD says that guards are taken prisoners. Nobody believes.
Two weeks later: Ukrainian Defence Minister gives medals to the border guards safely returned to Kiev.
There are zero such missiles. It's all marketing BS. They have air launched ballistic missiles. These are not "hypersonic missiles" by any accepted definition.
(If the Russian definition is valid, then the V2 was a "hypersonic missile").
https://www.raytheonmissilesanddefense.com/what-we-do/hypers...
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/capabilities/hypersonic...
and apparently the Chinese:
https://theconversation.com/chinas-hypersonic-missiles-threa...
Of course, the Russian story of "destroying" the Patriot battery is also clearly exaggerated. It's quite probable that the most visible and easily targeted radar module got destroyed, while the rest of the system is fully intact or got hit lightly by debris.
There's no reason to believe that the radar got destroyed at all. The explosions on the ground were confirmed to be hits on the airport terminal (aftermath pictures are available). Obviously, no part of a Patriot system likely to be inside a building.
Last I heard though, those hits were caused by normal Kalibr cruise missiles. It is a bit concerning that those got through, hopefully they learn from it. But not surprising, because it is challenging for a radar to search for objects both above it and at ground level around it simultaneously.
