Russia is developing the latest X-95 hypersonic long-range missile, Colonel-General Vladimir Zarudnitsky, head of the military academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said in an article for the Military Thought magazine.
According to the general, today, dominance in the aerospace sphere is a condition for the successful conduct of hostilities. This superiority, in particular, is ensured by the effective use of strike and fighter aircraft.
“For these purposes, for the Aerospace Forces (VKS) of Russia, such new and modernized models of weapons, military and special equipment are being developed and adopted, such as the Tu-160M strategic missile-bomber; airborne hypersonic missile system “Dagger”; high-precision long-range airborne weapons, in particular the Kh-95 hypersonic missile, ”Zarudnitsky said.
In addition, he noted that unmanned aerial vehicles of various classes, over-the-horizon detection radars, anti-aircraft missile systems and complexes, as well as other newest military equipment are being created for the Russian Aerospace Forces.
“However, it is not enough to produce and adopt the latest models of AME and create the necessary combat potential of groupings of troops (forces). It is necessary to develop and master new forms of their use and methods of combat operations, ensuring the achievement of domination in the aerospace sphere, ”the general concluded.
A RIA Novosti source in the military-industrial complex clarified that the Kh-95 missile is being developed for Tu-22M3M, Tu-160M bombers and the Advanced Long-Range Aviation Complex (PAK DA). According to him, “prototypes of the new product have already been tested from the air carrier.”
For the first time, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the development in Russia of the latest hypersonic weapons, in particular the Sarmat and Avangard missile systems, nuclear-powered cruise missiles and the Kinzhal aircraft missile system, in his message to the Federal Assembly in March 2018 …
In May of this year, Putin announced that the Russian army and navy are receiving the latest weapons and military equipment with high dynamics, which strengthens the potential of Russia's nuclear triad. According to the president, tests of the S-500 anti-aircraft missile system are nearing completion and the Zircon hypersonic missile system is at the final stage of testing.
In the United States, in turn, they promised to complete the development of their own hypersonic weapons by 2023. According to former US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, hypersonic weapons are “at the top of the task list” of the US Army. Unprecedented human and financial resources are directed to its development, he noted.
In September 2020, the US military successfully tested two prototype hypersonic missiles. However, in April it was reported that the tests of the AGM-183A ARRW hypersonic missile were unsuccessful. So, it was supposed to be launched from a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber. “However, the missile could not complete the launch procedure” and remained on the plane, which returned with it to Edwards AFB in California, “the US Air Force said in a statement.
