Pacific Air Commander: More Hypersonic Weapons are Needed by the US Air Force

If there is one armament that will make a difference in the US Air Force, it is hypersonic weapons. The Pacific air commander wants more money allotted to this expense.

Operations in the Pacific for the Air Force are changing as adversaries fear the US's military power. One way to keep enemies hunkered down is to give the budget to build high-speed missiles to arm all assets.

According to Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of U.S. Pacific Air Forces, in a press conference last November 18. These faster types of weapons are the latest evolution of missiles that are almost unstoppable and precisely hits targets. One asset is faster than Mach 3, which flies to the target in a shorter flight time.

American Congress has suggested the "Pacific Deterrence Initiative" that will funnel more money into weapons and operations to direct Chinese aggression in the Indo-pacific. It is similar to European Deterrence Initiative made to set up a unified block against Russia.

The good news about the US Senate move is to set up in 2021 the National Defense Authorization Act with $6 billion allotted for expenses. Congress has the Indo-Pacific Reassurance Initiative that will add $3.6 billion, for a whopping $9.6 billion for the cause alone.

But the proposal is not yet finalized and approved into law; he added that modernization is not the goal to modernize forces in the PDI.

One of the reasons for more advanced weapons is to be on equal footing as America's main adversary in the pacific. He mentioned the F-35 and F-22 that are the only operational 5th generation fighter in service. So far, no other nation has a similar system in place, on the US can operate it off its carriers.

Also read: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Fill in Gaps as Force Multipliers Not Replacements

Wilsbach said that any hypersonic weapon would be necessary to possess. These super-fast missiles can hurtle at Mach 5+ to attack targets and avoid getting destroyed by defenses. Another option is anti-weapons that can defeat it. One way to reach the target is to boost glide of the missile to the target.

It will be launched from the ground to a high altitude, and the vehicle releases the guided warhead. The last stage for the warhead is to enter the atmosphere at high speed to reach targets fast. Another type of this weapon is the type fired from aircraft.

He explained that technologies have different approaches to solve problems effectively. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages that must be considered. What is crucial should how well the target is hit by any weapon hard to stop in combat. These are news systems that have to be determined what's best.

To guide the weapon into the target crosshairs is the development of joint all-domain command and control. It is like a web connecting all sensors from the army, Navy, and Air Force into a network connection.

Called the Advanced Battle Management System, or ABMS that is under development for all assets on the battlefield. It is the Air Forces baby that will be ready when thoroughly tested. The system will pass targeting data to hypersonic weapons in flight, benefiting the Air Force the most.