[MeganC]

Either the thing blew up and the test was a failure or the system that’s been designed to intercept hypersonic craft had a successful test.

[SES1066]

Interesting 'coincidence' that the Chinese reported a failure on THEIR second test of a hypersonic missile just several days ago. Going hypersonic is generically Mach 5+ or 3,840+mph / 6,150+kph and at that speed, in atmosphere, every shockwave is like a knife cut. one small oops and goombye, she be down and dead!

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

This is what is called “overkill”, a misunderstood term. It does not mean hitting the same target multiple times.

The reality is that missiles have a tendency to fail, and fail a lot. So if you have a hundred targets, you need extra missiles to hit them, taking the place of the missiles that failed. This is overkill.

Missiles can explode or just fail in the silo, they can fail to get out of the silo, they can fail just after leaving the silo. If they are ballistic missiles, they can fail with their first section, or when it separates from the second section, or their second section can fail. And if the missile has three sections, there are just two more ways for it to fail.

Next it can fail to achieve its proper trajectory, or its navigation and guidance might fail, it may fail in reentry, or if it is too far off target to correct itself. Its weapon may not arm, or incorrectly arm and not detonate, or just the high explosive part, not the nuclear part, will detonate.

And that is just ordinary ICBMs. MIRV (multiple warhead) missiles have even more ways to fail, and hypersonic missiles are right now about as likely to fail as succeed.

That is why they call it “rocket science”.

[misanthrope]

The distance is around 3,900 miles and an earlier test of the missile in 2011 reached the site in around 30 minutes. The first missile test achieved speeds of around Mach 5 or about 3,600 mph.

Howzat again??

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

It was then set to glide to the Reagan Test Site on the South Pacific Kwajalein Atoll at speeds of nearly 4,000 miles an hour.

4000mph is a glide? I'd hate to seer something really in a hurry...

Regards,
GtG