On the same day the US and Israel launched air strikes against Iran, a research team led by Liao Longwen with the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology published a paper in the Chinese journal Tactical Missile Technology on the ability of US missile defence systems to intercept hypersonic weapons.
The US systems were dangerously outmatched by these threats, the researchers concluded in the paper released on Saturday.
“Existing US missile defences can theoretically intercept some hypersonic weapons in their final stage, but high speed, manoeuvrability and stealth make it very difficult,” Liao and his colleagues wrote.
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The prediction appeared to be confirmed by footage that surfaced days later, showing Iranian missiles breaching Israeli and American defences over Tel Aviv and other areas, striking high-value military targets with astonishing speed.
On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that during the 17th round of Operation True Promise 4, its hypersonic missiles and attack drones penetrated the US-made THAAD – Terminal High Altitude Area Defence – system, hitting the Israeli Ministry of Defence building and Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
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Hypersonic missiles are defined by their high speed, strong manoeuvrability and unpredictable flight paths, enabling them to penetrate conventional air defence systems in moments. The United States has deployed both midcourse and terminal-phase missile defence systems to counter this.
