The current state-of-the-art in such missiles is represented by the Russian Sunburn and Kalibr systems that incorporate advanced computers to give them a ‘hiving’ capability that is likely able to overwhelm any target. The new Indian BrahMos cruise missile is a joint development with Russia and uses much of the same technology as the Russian systems.

Today the next big thing is the hypersonic ship-killer and again it is the Russians who appear to be leading the field, although work on hypersonic vehicles is going on in several countries. Given that most analysts don’t rate the chances of survival of  the US carriers too highly in the current scenario where they face the threat of supersonic missiles, the introduction of hypersonic ones would likely downgrade the status of the US carriers even further from ‘sitting ducks’ to ‘scrap waiting to be sunk’.

The US is currently engaged in an aggressive stance towards China over issues in the South China Sea; Chinese deployment of a hypersonic missile, whether indigenous, bought outright from Russia or developed with Russian assistance would force a drastic and radical rethink of US policy and the aggressive stance which is predicated on US naval power…Ian

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Valentin Vasilescu, Katehon

Checkmate: Russian hypersonic weapons rule out US-NATO naval assault

The US rules the globe, having a navy three times stronger than that of Russia. Moreover, the Pentagon has created a strategic command to deploy large units of land forces, consisting of hundreds of cargo ships of large capacity. All of these vessels are organized in very strong expeditionary naval groups and around aircraft carriers, amphibious landing ships, and naval convoys of troops and military equipment.