Meanwhile...

 ... why not take interview with some... French general. In related news--hypersonic weapons are hard, like really-really hard. PR, on the other hand, is easy. 

Problems with the launcher and launch sequence of the new Long Range Hypersonic Weapon System will keep the U.S. Army from fielding its first LRHW battery until fiscal 2025, a government watchdog said Monday. The service aims to fix the problems and test the missile and launcher together no later than the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. Even a successful launch might not be the end of the Army’s worries. Service officials told the GAO that problems with missile performance in flight testing could further delay the program. They expect to have the eight missiles required for a battery ready within 11 months after a fielding decision is made, according to the GAO. 

Didn't I warn about it like... two years ago? Let me translate this for you: "Problems with the launcher and launch sequence." (c) No, the problems are not with that, this all is utter BS. The problem is with gliding body, its inability to sustain hypersonic flight and, finally, inability to control it because this is the key to REAL hypersonic weapons. Now, this cretin from Defense One--a collection of butthurt US military amateurs tries to compensate:

U.S. officials have described an “arms race” against China for hypersonics development, a field that Russia also invests in. In 2023, Ukraine shot down six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, although experts noted that they were not the maneuverable type of missile typically referred to under the umbrella term of “hypersonics.” In February, Russia attacked Ukraine with the Zircon hypersonic missile for the first time. 

Yes, in fact--404 shot down all Zircon and Kinzhal missiles, because, you know, Patriot PAC3 is the best thing in universe like... ever. In general, most of Western military academies, let alone some shitty courses in "Security Studies" and other "Strategy" crap should simply be dissolved due to professional incompetence and their staffs moved to fiction writing departments in liberal arts colleges. To Sam Skove who penned this crap--he should take basic military courses from people who actually know how to fight real wars and maybe take intro courses in math and physics. But I feel his pain... tough to be a loser.