In the coming years, the United States is expected to join Russia and other states in deploying a new generation of hypersonic weapons – weapons that travel through the atmosphere at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5). Although alarmism is misplaced, hypersonic ballistic glide vehicles (BGVs) could create new pathways for inadvertent escalation and present additional challenges for arms control. This Deep Cuts Issue Brief looks at how hypersonic weapons affect delivery times, maneuver capability, attack warning and performance against missile defense. Focusing on the Euro-Atlantic region, it proposes risk reduction and arms control measures that could address escalation risks specific to hypersonic weapons.
School Authors: Steve Fetter
Other Authors: Other Authors