I actually get you. That the shot down Russian missiles were not really Putin’s much vaunted hypersonics. We shall see.
Russians cannot buy the Western/Asian electronics they need to manufacture and refine their hypersonic missiles. Russians can make their own 90nm processors and nothing better. Russia is a technology parasite nation. They should stick to being the gas fill up station to Europe and the world. But this was not good enough for the stupid, cancerous Tsar Putin. Putin likes war and conquest, same as the Russian Tsars of old.
Um, Russians can very well get their hands on Asian electronics. China’s funneling what they can to the Russians, and India hasn’t interdicted Russian trade with them or through them.
Would also point out that recent Russian weapons, when tested by others, have sometimes shown that they actually do work as advertised on the box - the tandem warhead heavy ATGMs gutting NATO-spec tanks in Syria, the supercavitating torpedoes that the US is unable to duplicate (we just canceled our latest attempt) and that’s just the two I can think of right before bed.
I would not be so quick to dismiss them.
Mind, I’m not saying they *aren’t* either - however, given the known limitations of the systems in and provided to Ukraine, it seems unlikely. That said, neither side is trustworthy in their reporting (and to be fair, in war that’s common even *without* propaganda) so a “show me the evidence” stance is what we should be taking.
Should also be mentioned that Russian indigenous chip fab (i.e., no external supplies or aid) had reached 65nm by early 2020. If they engage in espionage in Taiwan with wartime priority efforts and funding, I wouldn’t be surprised if they suddenly get 14nm or less.