Hypersonic weapons are a threat. They fly higher and faster than regular cruise missiles. But lower than ballistic missiles. That causes defense problems. The problem with hypersonic weapons is that they must resist more pressure and higher temperatures than ballistic missiles.
Defense against those hypersonic weapons is theoretically easy. The defender must just predict the hypersonic missile route. And then it must just break its shell, and then air pressure along with heat rips that weapon into bites.
Even small damage on the hypersonic weapon's shield can start the reaction where the damage starts to spread. And destroy the missile. The problem is how to predict the launch of that weapon. If the defender can predict the launching point even a quadcopter can stop the missile, if it is in a straight line and the incoming missile hits that drone, impact destroys it. Another way is to use lasers.
The right power of those weapons is not very high. The laser system can be in high-flying aircraft.
The laser must just zap a small hole into the hypersonic vehicle's shell or its heat shield. The ideal power of those lasers is about 1kW/cm2. Another thing is to use the regular missiles that gave good results in Ukraine. The Patriot is capable of destroying Kinzhal missiles but it's an expensive option.
In some models, the defender can use rail guns that shoot GPS or other smart grenades. The idea is that the GPS grenades can detonate at a certain altitude and certain point in the hypersonic weapon's route. The grenade salvo releases steel balls and other debris, that can break the hypersonic weapon's shell.
Or the phonon-lasers or acoustic weapons can make the counter waves that can turn hypersonic weapons out of course. In some models, another hypersonic weapon will shoot against an incoming hypersonic missile and its pressure cone turns the missile, and when the missile turns sideways to its trajectory. That should break the hypersonic missile's shell. There is an idea that the traditional close balloons also can protect the area against hypersonic missiles. The system uses false targets to aim hypersonic missiles at the balloons.
One of the most interesting and imaginative ways to defend targets against hypersonic missiles is to make the ice in the air. The system can drop water and detonate a water tank at the hypersonic missile's route. That water will freeze immediately to ice. And then hypersonic missiles can drive against those ice bites. But the race to develop hypersonic weapons is hard.
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/ideal-laser-power-to-kill-hypersonic-missiles
https://www.twz.com/42673/the-ac-130j-gunships-first-solid-state-laser-weapon-has-arrived-for-testing
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