Because hypersonic missiles can change the balance of the world

“Cruise missiles and hypersonic ‘gliders’ are the most recent symbols of military power, which mark the return to strategic competition between states” writes Joseph Henrotin in the preface to a study published by Ifri (Institut français des relations internationales) last June. “Hypersonic weapons combine the advantage of speed with the advantage of maneuverability, which allows them to evade theater and territorial missile defense systems and hit targets located in the heart of enemy territories or at sea” continues Henrotin, researcher at the Institute of Strategy comparative of Paris.