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the picture shows the "mako shark" hypersonic missile being developed by the united states

on september 11, the website of the u.s. bimonthly magazine national interest published an article titled "mako hypersonic missile: a game changer for f-22 and f-35 fighters", written by geopolitical analyst brandon weichert. the full text is excerpted as follows:

the hypersonic weapons race is underway. china, russia, and india are all vying to dominate this important field. currently, russia is in the lead, followed by china, and india behind china.

the americans have always wanted to build hypersonic weapons. in fact, when the hypersonic weapons race began, the americans had a decisive advantage. washington allowed its lead to disappear, and now the americans are scrambling to catch up.

while the americans may be behind, they are not out of the game. recently, lockheed martin showed that they are actively moving to lead the race for a powerful hypersonic weapons capability. the company's mako missile is a step in the right direction.

the new missile system is named after one of the fastest sharks in the world, the mako, and it certainly lives up to that name. in fact, the mako hypersonic missile can reach speeds in excess of mach 5. the lockheed martin website is vague about the mako's range, but you can rest assured that it's more than enough to challenge any adversary.

the coolest thing is that this missile can be installed in the weapons bay of the f-35 lightning ii fifth-generation fighter. other reports say that the mako shark can be modified to fit almost any american aircraft, including the f-22 raptor and f/a-18 super hornet. this shows that the united states is getting serious about hypersonic weapons.

whether the pentagon can expand the use of these systems is another matter entirely, as is making them more cost-effective, but from a technological perspective, mako is a necessary step in the right direction.

a key feature of the mako system is its ability to maneuver extremely quickly in flight, making it more difficult for defenses to track and destroy the missile before it can inflict the desired damage.

the mako missile can perform a variety of missions. the system can threaten targets on land and at sea. advanced u.s. military aircraft can launch the weapon against a range of targets. the military can also use it to strike high-value assets, including anti-ship systems.

given concerns about the u.s. defense industrial base and its ability to mass-produce weapons at a reliable pace, lockheed martin has embraced state-of-the-art manufacturing methods. digital engineering and additive manufacturing will reduce costs and increase production efficiency, which means more weapons units can be built.

in the hypersonic weapons race, americans have lagged behind their opponents for too long. as the world becomes increasingly likely to engage in war using hypersonic weapons, the u.s. military must redouble its efforts to counter the advances of its adversaries.