From: imbibe@mindspring.com   
      
   Military Pact Between U.S., U.K. and Australia to Focus on Hypersonic Missiles   
   By Mike Cherney, Apr. 5, 2022, WSJ   
      
   A military partnership between the U.S., the U.K. and Australia will be    
   expanded to focus on developing hypersonic missiles, amid concerns that    
   the U.S. and its allies are falling behind potential rivals including    
   China in testing such weapons.   
      
   Hypersonic missiles fly at over 5 times the speed of sound and can be    
   maneuvered before hitting a target. They are more difficult to detect    
   on radar than existing missiles, giving an edge to any military seeking    
   to surprise an opponent.   
      
   Officials from the U.S., the U.K. and Australia said on Wednesday that    
   they would focus on both hypersonic missiles and counter-hypersonic    
   capabilities after meeting to discuss progress in implementing their    
   new three-way alliance, called AUKUS. The pact, announced last year,    
   is already aimed at providing nuclear-powered submarines for Australia    
   in the coming decades and developing undersea capabilities, quantum    
   technologies and artificial intelligence.   
      
   The AUKUS countries said Wednesday that they would look into electronic-   
   warfare capabilities, noting that the electromagnetic spectrum is    
   increasingly contested and that they want to enable their forces to    
   operate in contested and degraded environments. They said they would    
   expand information sharing and deepen cooperation on defense innovation.   
      
   “We reaffirmed our commitment to AUKUS and to a free and open Indo-   
   Pacific,” the countries said in a joint leaders-level statement. “We    
   reiterated our unwavering commitment to an international system that    
   respects human rights, the rule of law, and the peaceful resolution    
   of disputes free from coercion.”   
      
   The AUKUS pact is a key part of the U.S. strategy for the Indo-Pacific,    
   where it is building a network of alliances that can serve as a counter-   
   weight to China. Australia is an important U.S. ally in the region and    
   is a member of the Quad group of countries, a separate partnership that    
   includes the U.S., Japan, India and Australia.   
      
   Defense experts say that guided long-range strike capabilities are    
   crucial for success in modern warfare because they are more efficient    
   in hitting specific targets. U.S. officials have previously said    
   developing hypersonic missiles is a priority.   
      
   Australia has been investing in its overall missile capabilities,    
   and on Tuesday said it would partner with U.S. defense companies   
   Raytheon and Lockheed Martin to help build missiles domestically.    
   Australia also said that it would accelerate the deployment of new    
   missiles for its air force and navy.   
      
   China has good long-range strike capabilities and is likely to    
   improve those capabilities in the future, according to some defense    
   experts. China has already conducted hundreds of hypersonic ballistic    
   missile tests, according to one former U.S. official.   
      
   Hypersonic missiles can be either ballistic or cruise missiles.    
   Hypersonic ballistic missiles, which like other ballistic missiles    
   fly along a curved arc, can start their descent at lower altitudes,    
   helping them evade radar. As it begins its descent, the tip carrying    
   the warhead heads back to the ground at hypersonic speed. The tip is    
   called a glide vehicle because it doesn’t have its own power.   
      
   A hypersonic cruise missile flies on a flatter course and is powered    
   throughout its flight, though the speed requires more advanced propulsion    
   technology. Most common types of cruise missiles currently travel at    
   less than hypersonic speed.   
      
   Russia is developing ballistic and cruise hypersonic missiles, and    
   North Korea has said it has tested a hypersonic missile. The U.S.    
   has several programs to develop hypersonic glide vehicles and    
   hypersonic cruise missiles but last year had two failed tests of    
   a hypersonic glide vehicle.   
      
   https://www.wsj.com/articles/military-pact-between-u-s-u-k-and-a   
   stralia-to-focus-on-hypersonic-missiles-11649206786   
      
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