Pakistani official media reported that the JF-17 Block III fighter jet launched a hypersonic missile to destroy India's S-400 air defense system worth $1.5 billion deployed in Adampur.

Although it is called a hypersonic missile, foreign media reports suggest that the actual launch was the HD-1 supersonic cruise missile. This missile is very obscure, but it is one of the most powerful missiles globally.

Because the number of countries capable of producing cruise missiles is limited, and even fewer can produce supersonic cruise missiles.

We must first understand that flight speeds reaching 1.2 to 5 Mach are considered supersonic. Achieving supersonic flight for cruise missiles while maintaining sufficient range and stealth performance presents significant challenges.

This is because supersonic flight consumes large amounts of fuel, which inevitably affects range. Some even sacrifice payload capacity to ensure fuel volume. To avoid reducing range and payload, the size of the missile must be increased (which is why supersonic missiles are larger), making them more easily detected by enemy forces.

Generally, supersonic cruise missiles adopt higher flight trajectories to increase detection distances for defenders. Additionally, the faster the missile flies, the higher the temperature, making it easier to detect and track with infrared sensors. Therefore, without mastering supersonic capabilities and key technologies such as extended range and high-altitude stealth, the development of supersonic cruise missiles would be impossible.

India's so-called supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, is not a fully capable supersonic cruise missile. It uses a nosecone intake, resulting in a narrow radar field of view. Its long body prevents it from performing serpentine maneuvers, lacking terminal penetration capability. Moreover, its 300-kilometer range is achieved through high-altitude ballistic trajectories.

The HD-1 supersonic cruise missile can be considered very obscure; many people haven't heard of it. It was developed by China's private enterprise Hongda Explosives (strictly speaking, it cannot be classified as a private company).

Its cruising speed can reach 3.5 Mach, with a terminal penetration speed exceeding 4 Mach, far surpassing similar missiles like the U.S. AGM-158C (subsonic) and India's BrahMos (2.8 Mach). The missile has supersonic maneuvering trajectory-changing capabilities, with a terminal penetration speed of 3.5 Mach. After cruising at an altitude of 15,000 meters, it can descend to 5-10 meters above sea level for low-altitude flight, greatly compressing the enemy's radar response time (only 21 seconds), effectively evading radar detection, and breaking through advanced air defense systems like the S-400, which is why it can destroy India's S-400 air defense system.

This can be considered one of the most advanced supersonic cruise missiles globally. However, what baffles the West is that such missiles have already been phased out in China. Thus, HD-1 can only focus on developing exports vigorously.

In China, the development path of missiles has shifted entirely toward hypersonic or focuses heavily on anti-ship ballistic missiles. For instance, our ground-based supersonic cruise missile DF-100 has also been discontinued. The DF-100 has a range of 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers. Not only that, but the DF-100 directly adopts the concept of full-range supersonic penetration. It is the only cruise missile in the world that maintains supersonic throughout its entire flight. Although it has only a 4-Mach penetration speed, it is difficult to intercept due to its full supersonic penetration, effectively destroying aircraft carriers.

As the most powerful anti-ship missile in the world, the DF-100 has been phased out in China because if the goal is to destroy aircraft carriers and other mobile maritime targets, China has land-based anti-ship ballistic missiles. The range of ballistic missiles and the high maneuverability of cruise missiles can destroy aircraft carriers beyond 4,000 kilometers. How could the DF-100 compare?

Regarding airborne supersonic cruise missiles, China already has the YJ-21, which features full-range hypersonic penetration. The HD-1 cannot match it either. That's why even the most advanced supersonic cruise missiles in the world are considered obsolete in China.

However, although it may not be considered advanced domestically in China, it performs excellently overseas. During the destruction of Russia's S-400 air defense system, the HD-1 had a terminal penetration speed of 3.5 to 4 Mach, far exceeding the subsonic or low-supersonic speeds of traditional anti-ship missiles (such as India's BrahMos at 2.8 Mach). The high speed shortened the S-400 system's reaction window (approximately 21 seconds), making it difficult for interception missiles like the 48N6DM to complete target tracking and ballistic calculations. Additionally, its supersonic maneuvering trajectory-changing capability allows random changes to the flight path, disrupting the predicted trajectory of the S-400 interception missiles.

Although the S-400 has anti-ballistic missile capabilities, its interception missiles are primarily designed for fixed trajectories of ballistic missiles, significantly reducing the success rate of intercepting complex maneuvering targets. Therefore, the final outcome for India's S-400 can only be described as being destroyed. The HD-1 can also form a coordinated combat chain with ZDK-2 early warning aircraft and J-10CE fighters, achieving shared targets and tactical coordination through data links. For example, in the conflict between India and Pakistan, early warning aircraft can guide the JF-17 fighter jets in planning penetration paths. In such cases, the HD-1 can deliver a fatal strike using the enemy's radar blind spots. This "reconnaissance-strike-assessment" closed-loop system is where China's military leads in information warfare. China has successfully completed the transition from informatized warfare to digitalized warfare.

But for the West, this is not good news. If China's obsolete missile products are this formidable, what kind of power do China's currently operational mainstream weapons possess? The U.S. military might despair upon considering this.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7502724181172339254/

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