News Release
U.S.-Russia-China Cooperation Could Hinder the Proliferation of Hypersonic Missiles, Reduce Risk of Strategic Wars
Sep 27, 2017
Hypersonic Missile Nonproliferation
Hindering the Spread of a New Class of Weapons
Download
Download eBook for Free
Full Document
| Format | File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF file | 4.4 MB | Best for desktop computers. Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
| ePub file | 1.9 MB | Best for mobile devices. On desktop computers and some mobile devices, you may need to download an eBook reader to view ePub files. Calibre is an example of a free and open source e-book library management application. |
| mobi file | 4.2 MB | Best for Kindle 1-3. On desktop computers and some mobile devices, you may need to download an eBook reader to view mobi files. Amazon Kindle is the most popular reader for mobi files. |
حظر انتشار الصواريخ فائقة سرعة الصّوت (فرط صوتية): منع انتشار فئة جديدة من الأسلحة
Arabic language version
| Format | File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF file | 4.6 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
高超音速导弹之防扩散: 防止新型武器的蔓延 (内容摘要)
Chinese language version (summary only)
| Format | File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF file | 0.6 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Purchase
Purchase Print Copy
| Format | List Price | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add to Cart | Paperback154 pages | $24.50 | $19.60 20% Web Discount |
Research Questions
- What are the implications of the proliferation of hypersonic missiles to additional nations? That is, why should the United States and the rest of the world be concerned with such proliferation, and why should it be addressed now?
- What are the possible measures to hinder such proliferation? That is, is it feasible to hinder the spread of this technology, and who should buy into such an objective and with what measures?
- Which specific hypersonic technologies could be subject to export controls?
- What are the technical barriers to mastering hypersonic technologies?
- What are the economic barriers to mastering hypersonic technologies?
Hypersonic missiles — specifically hypersonic glide vehicles and hypersonic cruise missiles — are a new class of threat because they are capable both of maneuvering and of flying faster than 5,000 kilometers per hour. These features enable such missiles to penetrate most missile defenses and to further compress the timelines for a response by a nation under attack.
Hypersonic missiles are being developed by the United States, Russia, and China. Their proliferation beyond these three could result in other powers setting their strategic forces on hair-trigger states of readiness. And such proliferation could enable other powers to more credibly threaten attacks on major powers.
The diffusion of hypersonic technology is under way in Europe, Japan, Australia, and India — with other nations beginning to explore such technology. Proliferation could cross multiple borders if hypersonic technology is offered on world markets.
There is probably less than a decade available to substantially hinder the potential proliferation of hypersonic missiles and associated technologies. To this end, the report recommends that (1) the United States, Russia, and China should agree not to export complete hypersonic missile systems or their major components and (2) the broader international community should establish controls on a wider range of hypersonic missile hardware and technology.
Key Findings
New Class of Threat
- Hypersonic missiles are a new class of threat because they are capable both of maneuvering and of flying faster than 5,000 kilometers per hour, which would enable such missiles to penetrate most missile defenses and to further compress the timelines for response by a nation under attack.
- The proliferation of such missiles beyond the United States, Russia, and China could result in other powers compressing their response timelines in ways that set their strategic forces on hair-trigger states of readiness — such as a strategy of "launch on warning." And such proliferation could enable such states to more credibly threaten attacks on major powers.
Time Is Key
- There is probably less than a decade available to substantially hinder the potential proliferation of hypersonic missiles and associated technologies.
- There appears to be interest in hypersonic missile nonproliferation and at least a few years available for relevant governments to put a policy in place.
International Concern
- The unavoidable requirement is for the United States, Russia, and China to agree on a nonproliferation policy.
- France could play a key role in bringing other governments into agreement on a broader control policy.
- The technical and economic barriers to developing hypersonic technology are great enough to add to the effectiveness of a nonproliferation policy.
Recommendations
- A two-tiered approach to containing the spread of hypersonic systems and components appears to be the most promising.
- First, we recommend a policy of export denial for complete hypersonic delivery vehicles and enough major subsystems to effectively provide access to complete hypersonic missiles.
- Second, given dual-use concerns, we also recommend a policy of case-by-case export reviews for scramjets and other hypersonic engines and components, fuels for hypersonic use, sensors, navigation, and communication items for hypersonic flight, hypersonic flight controls, design tools and modeling for such uses, and ground simulation and testing for hypersonic systems.
- The necessary first step is for the United States, Russia, and China to agree not to export complete hypersonic missiles or their major subsystems. Beyond that, the control list recommended in this report can be the basis for international discussions.
Related Products
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Introduction: What This Report Addresses
Chapter Two
Strategic Consequences of Hypersonic Missile Proliferation
Chapter Three
Ongoing Hypersonic Technology Proliferation
Chapter Four
Hindering Hypersonic Missile Proliferation
Chapter Five
Conclusions
Appendix A
The Hypersonic Flight Regime
Appendix B
Survey of Foreign Hypersonic Activity
Appendix C
Technical and Economic Barriers to Hypersonic Systems Development
Appendix D
Suggested Export Control List for Hypersonic Technologies
Research conducted by
This report was prepared for the Carnegie Corporation of New York and conducted within the International Security and Defense Policy Center (ISDP) of the RAND National Defense Research Institute.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.