India successfully tested hypersonic missile

Why in news?

• Recently India successfully tested the first long range hypersonic missile

Key points:

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully flight tested India's first long range hypersonic missile from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
• After launch, its speed can reach up to 6,200 kilometres per hour, which is 5 times the speed of sound.
• The range of this hypersonic missile is more than 1500 kilometres.
• This missile can attack the enemy from all three places, air, water and land.
• After the successful test of the hypersonic missile, India has joined the select countries which have this advanced technology.

Hypersonic missile:

• The speed of a hypersonic missile is more than 'Mach 5' i.e. five times the speed of sound (330 metres/second). 
• This missile uses a scramjet engine.
• The scramjet engine was developed by India with the help of Russia.
• Both conventional and nuclear warheads can be installed on a hypersonic missile.
• The hypersonic missile moves so fast towards its target that the anti-missile system is unable to track it.
• America's 'Terminal High Altitude Area Defense' i.e. 'THAAD' and Israel's 'Iron Dome' system also cannot catch hypersonic missiles. 

Which countries have hypersonic?

• Defense experts believe that hypersonic missiles are currently with China and Russia.
• At the same time, like India, America is engaged in operationalizing it.