The Missile Defense Agency has tasked a major defense contractor to develop advanced missiles capable of knocking out maneuvering, ultrahigh-speed targets such as China’s high-tech Wu-14 hypersonic glide vehicle. Missile defense specialists at Lockheed Martin, the main contractor for the Pentagon’s agency, told reporters Wednesday that an extended-range version of the Army’s Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system is being developed to deal with hypersonic threats. Hypersonic missiles are maneuvering strike vehicles launched atop missiles that travel at speeds of up to Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound. They maneuver and glide along the edge of space, making them difficult targets for missile defenses.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 16:29:31 +0000
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