Patriot vs supersonics

[Kunkmiester]

https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine ... yst-2023-5

How much of this is surprise and how much just fingerbreaking territory before? I've heard the impression its been quietly figured advanced systems like Patriot would have no problem with hypersonics, it's just a combination of smart people being opsec wise and only the idiots talking to the news.

[Nightwatch2]

https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine ... yst-2023-5

How much of this is surprise and how much just fingerbreaking territory before? I've heard the impression its been quietly figured advanced systems like Patriot would have no problem with hypersonics, it's just a combination of smart people being opsec wise and only the idiots talking to the news.

(twiddling my unbroken thumbs...)



it doesn't surprise me.

[Craiglxviii]

Wiki (I know!) has MIM-104F MSE (the latest Patriot PAC3 missile variant) capable against a ballistic missile target at 30km. Given that ballistic missiles are kinda hypersonic by definition…

[Nightwatch2]

Wiki (I know!) has MIM-104F MSE (the latest Patriot PAC3 missile variant) capable against a ballistic missile target at 30km. Given that ballistic missiles are kinda hypersonic by definition…

Precisely

[Calder]

https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine ... yst-2023-5

How much of this is surprise and how much just fingerbreaking territory before? I've heard the impression its been quietly figured advanced systems like Patriot would have no problem with hypersonics, it's just a combination of smart people being opsec wise and only the idiots talking to the news.

Shrug, this is another case of journalists writing about topics they don't know much about\the definition of a hypersonic weapon not having a set definition. The Russian Kinzhal missile does exceed Mach 5 (it is about Mach 10 in its terminal phase.) It should, the Kinzhal missile is nothing more than a short-range Iskander ballistic missile that has been slightly modified to be fired by aircraft.

However, most people (outside of Russia at least) don't define hypersonic weapons by only looking at their max speed. After all, even the German V2 rocket of WWII exceeded Mach 5 in its terminal phase. Most people define hypersonic as a weapon that can maneuver at speeds exceeding Mach 5. By that definition, ballistic missiles aren't hypersonic.

The Patriot has been capable of intercepting short to medium-range ballistic missiles for a long time.

[warshipadmin]

There's also a confusion between ballistic and high speed. A cannonball is ballistic, as is a dropped teacup.

[Rocket J Squrriel]

Shrug, this is another case of journalists writing about topics they don't know much about\the definition of a hypersonic weapon not having a set definition. The Russian Kinzhal missile does exceed Mach 5 (it is about Mach 10 in its terminal phase.) It should, the Kinzhal missile is nothing more than a short-range Iskander ballistic missile that has been slightly modified to be fired by aircraft.

However, most people (outside of Russia at least) don't define hypersonic weapons by only looking at their max speed. After all, even the German V2 rocket of WWII exceeded Mach 5 in its terminal phase. Most people define hypersonic as a weapon that can maneuver at speeds exceeding Mach 5. By that definition, ballistic missiles aren't hypersonic.

The Patriot has been capable of intercepting short to medium-range ballistic missiles for a long time.

Don't tell Ted Postol that!

[Pdf27]

Probably worth pointing out that the Scud missiles being shot down by Patriot systems in 1990 were doing ≈Mach 5 when intercepted. You would hope they had improved somewhat in the 30 years since!