Tehran and Washington have traded increasingly aggressive rhetoric over the last few weeks, and an increasing number of flashpoints have sparked the potential for major conflict. Iran’s decision to start enriching uranium means the possibility still remains – sparking another potential trigger for conflict. Now, the US Navy has revealed it is poised to upgrade its warships to carry hypersonic weapons to counter Moscow and Beijing’s defences. Washington knows that conflict with Tehran won’t just be a war between two countries, but two alliances. China and Russia – both allies of Iran – have helped update the nation’s defensive systems to deal with any threat US warships pose. Beijing has also been developing its own hypersonic weapons. Head of US Naval Sea Systems Command Vice Admiral Thomas Moore warned America needed to urgently increase the capabilities of its own missiles in the region. He said that new hi-tech missile launchers could be added to the Navy’s most powerful fleet of Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers. He added: “Vertical launch system has been a real game changer for us. “We can shoot any number of things out of those launchers. “We’ll probably change those out and upgrade them for prompt strike weapons down the road.” Prompt strike refers to a US effort to field hypersonic weapons which could strike any nation in the world within an hour. Current hypersonic missiles can travel at Mach 5 – or 6174 km/hour – meaning that even if US ships were stationed in the Atlantic, they could still reach Iran with little time for Tehran to respond. These will be placed on submarines first, according to retired submarine officer Thomas Callender, but will later be added to surface ships. The Arleigh-Burke class currently possesses the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, which, while deadly, is reportedly ever more vulnerable to advanced Russian and Chinese-built air defences. Last month Raytheon, a major US defence contractor, unveiled a new hypersonic weapon which could blast past Russian and Chinese defences. Engineers believe that, due to the ‘scramjet’ design of the new missile, it could travel at almost five times the speed of current models. The news comes as Iranian military bases in Syria were struck by Israeli jets overnight. Upon hearing about Iran’s nuclear enrichment, US President Donald Trump claimed that Tehran was “playing with fire” and said that “they know what they’re doing”.
Iran news: New US navy weapon could strike Iran in MINUTES
Tehran and Washington have traded increasingly aggressive rhetoric over the last few weeks, and an increasing number of flashpoints have sparked the potential for major conflict. Iran’s decision to start enriching uranium means the possibility still remains – sparking another potential trigger for conflict. Now, the US Navy has revealed it is poised to upgrade its warships to carry hypersonic weapons to counter Moscow and Beijing’s defences. Washington knows that conflict with Tehran won’t just be a war between two countries, but two alliances. China and Russia – both allies of Iran – have helped update the nation’s defensive systems to deal with any threat US warships pose. Beijing has also been developing its own hypersonic weapons. Head of US Naval Sea Systems Command Vice Admiral Thomas Moore warned America needed to urgently increase the capabilities of its own missiles in the region. He said that new hi-tech missile launchers could be added to the Navy’s most powerful fleet of Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers. He added: “Vertical launch system has been a real game changer for us. “We can shoot any number of things out of those launchers. “We’ll probably change those out and upgrade them for prompt strike weapons down the road.” Prompt strike refers to a US effort to field hypersonic weapons which could strike any nation in the world within an hour. Current hypersonic missiles can travel at Mach 5 – or 6174 km/hour – meaning that even if US ships were stationed in the Atlantic, they could still reach Iran with little time for Tehran to respond. These will be placed on submarines first, according to retired submarine officer Thomas Callender, but will later be added to surface ships. The Arleigh-Burke class currently possesses the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, which, while deadly, is reportedly ever more vulnerable to advanced Russian and Chinese-built air defences. Last month Raytheon, a major US defence contractor, unveiled a new hypersonic weapon which could blast past Russian and Chinese defences. Engineers believe that, due to the ‘scramjet’ design of the new missile, it could travel at almost five times the speed of current models. The news comes as Iranian military bases in Syria were struck by Israeli jets overnight. Upon hearing about Iran’s nuclear enrichment, US President Donald Trump claimed that Tehran was “playing with fire” and said that “they know what they’re doing”.
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