Rafael announces secret Sky Sonic interceptor to destroy hypersonic missiles

Israeli defence contractor Rafael Advanced Defence Systems has announced the Sky Sonic interceptor missile. It aims to counter hypersonic threats.

Here's What We Know

According to the manufacturer, the development of the Sky Sonic is a response to the "geopolitical reality of hypersonic weapons". The company calls its missile interceptor "a pioneering defensive response to the threat of hypersonic missiles".

Rafael will focus primarily on European customers and is preparing to demonstrate the Sky Sonic design at the Paris Air Show. The event will take place next week.

The missile interceptor is in the development phase and has not yet reached combat testing. Rafael has been developing the multi-stage missile interceptor in secret. It is known to operate on a "hit-to-kill" basis, like the PAC-3 anti-missile missiles in the Patriot air defence system.

The PAC-3 is believed to eliminate the threat through kinetic energy and has no warhead. But in fact, the interceptor has a so-called "lethality enhancer " that contains a few dozen metal fragments to increase the probability of hitting the target.

Worth noting, the timing of the announcement of Sky Sonic. Rafael revealed its development only days after Iran unveiled the Fattah hypersonic/ballistic missile, which will have a top speed of around 17,000km/h. Also, let's not forget that last month Russia launched seven X-47M2 hypersonic/aeroballistic missiles at Ukraine. All were shot down by the Patriot surface-to-air missile system.

Sky Sonic will be able to destroy "full-fledged" hypersonic missiles, which do not fly on a ballistic trajectory but can manoeuvre at speeds in excess of Mach 5 (6174km/h). That means they combine the threat of speed with the difficulty of intercepting low-flying cruise missiles that can change altitude and flight direction.

Source: Breaking Defense