How Fast Can a Hypersonic Missile Really Go? 🚀💨
Most people don’t realize how wide the speed gap is between different missile types.
Cruise missiles fly low and steady — roughly ~500 mph on average — similar to a fast car but optimized for long-range accuracy.
Supersonic missiles fly faster than sound (above Mach 1, roughly ~760 mph) and are used when speed and shorter time-to-target matter.
Hypersonic weapons start at Mach 5 (about 3,800 mph) and go much higher. These weapons combine extreme speed with high maneuverability, making them hard to track and intercept.
Some hypersonic systems — like Russia’s Avangard — have been reported to reach very high speeds (claims vary; some figures quoted in media reach into the tens of thousands of miles per hour), which explains why hypersonics have become a central focus of modern defense planning. In this video we explain the differences in flight profile, why speed matters, and what makes hypersonic weapons uniquely challenging for air and missile defenses.
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Most people don’t realize how wide the speed gap is between different missile types.
Cruise missiles fly low and steady — roughly ~500 mph on average — similar to a fast car but optimized for long-range accuracy.
Supersonic missiles fly faster than sound (above Mach 1, roughly ~760 mph) and are used when speed and shorter time-to-target matter.
Hypersonic weapons start at Mach 5 (about 3,800 mph) and go much higher. These weapons combine extreme speed with high maneuverability, making them hard to track and intercept.
Some hypersonic systems — like Russia’s Avangard — have been reported to reach very high speeds (claims vary; some figures quoted in media reach into the tens of thousands of miles per hour), which explains why hypersonics have become a central focus of modern defense planning. In this video we explain the differences in flight profile, why speed matters, and what makes hypersonic weapons uniquely challenging for air and missile defenses.
Subscribe for more clear, fast explainers on modern weapons and defense tech 🔔
