These are top 7 world’s fastest hypersonic weapons that are impossible to intercept
The Shaurya, is a canister launched hypersonic surface-to-surface tactical missile
developed by the Indian Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)
for use by the Indian Armed Forces
It has a range of 430 to 1,180 mi
and is capable of carrying a payload of 440 to 2,200 lb conventional or nuclear warhead
It gives the potential to strike at very-long-range against any adversary
Shaurya can reach a velocity of Mach 7.5 or 5,754 mph even at low altitudes
On 12 November 2008
the missile reached a velocity of Mach 5 as it crossed a distance of 186 miles
with a surface temperature of 700° Celsius
The missile performed rolls to spread the heat uniformly on its surface
Flight time was between 500 seconds and 700 seconds
Still from India, BrahMos-II is a hypersonic cruise missile currently under joint development
by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia
which have together formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited
It is the second of the BrahMos series of cruise missiles
The BrahMos-II is expected to have a range of 620 mi and a speed of Mach 8 or 6,138 mph
The planned operational range of the BrahMos-II had initially been restricted to 180 miles
as Russia is a signatory to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)
which prohibits it from helping other countries develop missiles with ranges above 186 miles
However, subsequent to India becoming a MTCR signatory in 2014
the parameters for Brahmos 2 will get enhanced
Its top speed will be double that of the current BrahMos-I
and it has been described as the fastest cruise missile in the world
The 3M22 Zircon, is a scramjet powered maneuvering anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile
currently in production by Russia
The missile's range is estimated to be 155 to 311 mi at low level
and up to 460 mi in a semi-ballistic trajectory
average range is around 250–280 mi
According to Russian media in 2017
the longest possible range is 620 mi and for this purpose a new fuel was created
Some internet tabloids even claim the range of missile can reach 620 - 1,240 mi
depending on the type of target
Zircon can travel at a speed of Mach 8 – Mach 9 or 6,138–6,900 mph
This has led to concerns that it could penetrate existing naval defense systems
Because it flies at hypersonic speeds within the atmosphere
the air pressure in front of it forms a plasma cloud as it moves
absorbing radio waves and making it practically invisible to active radar systems (Plasma stealth)
The DF-ZF, is a Chinese hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV)
previously denoted by the Pentagon as WU-14 and currently officially operational on October 1st, 2019
in the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China
The DF-ZF is designed to be mounted on a DF-17
a type of ballistic missile specifically designed to carry HGVs
The DF-ZF is thought to reach speeds between Mach 5 or 3,836 mph and Mach 10 or 7,680 mph
The glider could be used for nuclear weapons delivery
but could also be used to perform precision-strike conventional missions
for example, next-generation anti-ship ballistic missiles
which could penetrate "the layered air defenses of a U.S. carrier strike group
The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, is a Russian nuclear-capable hypersonic aero-ballistic air-to-surface missile
It has an ability to perform evasive maneuvers at every stage of its flight
It can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads and can be launched
from Tu-22M3 bombers or MiG-31K interceptors
It has been deployed at airbases in Russia's Southern Military District and Western Military District
The high speed of the Kinzhal gives it better target-penetration characteristics than lighter
slower cruise-missiles With advanced maneuvering capabilities
high precision and hypersonic speed
some sources give it the name "carrier killer" due to its alleged ability to disable
and possibly even sink a 100,000 ton supercarrier with a single strike
With speed of Mach 12 or 9,200 mph, and a mass of 4,400 lb
including 1,100 lb warhead and the other parts of the missile
the Kinzhal has more than 16.9 gigajoules of kinetic energy
or the equivalent of 4 tons of TNT
The AGM-183 ARRW ("Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon")
is a hypersonic weapon planned for use by the United States Air Force
Developed by Lockheed Martin
The weapon uses a boost-glide system, in which it is propelled to hypersonic speed
by a rocket on which it is mounted before gliding towards a target
The AGM-183A has a claimed maximum speed of Mach 20, or 15,345 miles per hour
On May 14, 2022, the 419th Flight Test Squadron
and the Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base
conducted the first successful test of the AGM-183 off the coast of Southern California
The weapon demonstrated separation from the B-52H Stratofortress
Its booster ignited and burned for the expected duration
and the weapon was able to achieve speeds greater than Mach 5 or 3,800 mph
The Avangard, is a Russian hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV)
that can be carried as a MIRV payload by the UR-100UTTKh
R-36M2, and RS-28 Sarmat heavy ICBMs
It can deliver both nuclear and conventional payloads
The Avangard weighs about 4,400 lb and travels at Mach 20–27, or 15,345 to 20,716 mph
giving it the equivalent of 17.5 tons of TNT in kinetic energy
The latest flight test of Avangard occurred on 26 December 2018
Avangard carried by a UR-100UTTKh ICBM launched from Dombarovsky Air Base
successfully hit a target at the Kura Missile Test Range
The Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Yury Borisov stated a day later
that the glider flew at 27 times the speed of sound, "invulnerable to interception"