India launched its first hypersonic missile on Monday, solidifying its place in an exclusive group of nations with this advanced capability.
The unveiling of the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LR-AShM) also marks another milestone for India’s largely indigenous missile force after the introduction of the short-range hypersonic BM-04 last year, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The South Asian country is mulling an integrated missile arsenal to counter the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force amid a territorial dispute with strategic rival China and long-running tensions with archfoe Pakistan. That branch, along with a fast-growing navy, has significantly expanded Beijing’s strategic reach in the Asia-Pacific.
Hypersonic missiles travel at least Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, and can execute sharp maneuvers in their terminal phase, making them extremely difficult for existing defense systems to detect, track or intercept.
