China’s newest hypersonic missile, the DF-27, could sideline US aircraft carrier groups in the Pacific, while missiles in the works in China, Russia and the US threaten global security.
Gratuitous destruction: a children’s playground after a Russian bombardment, October 2022,
Patricia Huchot-Boissier/ABACAPRESS.COM
Iran has showcased these new weapons, with deadly result, in Yemen and Lebanon.
Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system is the gold standard for defending against missiles and rockets.
Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images
What will it take for Ukraine to defend against the ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and explosive drones raining down on the country? The question is not so much what as how many.
This Russian short-range cruise missile, the Iskander-K, can carry nuclear warheads for several hundred miles.
Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP
Tactical nuclear weapons were designed to be used on the battlefield rather than for strategic defense, but that doesn’t mean there’s a plausible case for using them.
Hypersonic missiles can change course to avoid detection and anti-missile defenses.
U.S. Air Force graphic
Russia’s use of hypersonic missiles in Ukraine has put the weapons in the news. Next-generation versions under development could dramatically alter national and global security.
This intercontinental ballistic missile was launched as part of Russia’s test of its strategic forces in 2020.
Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats have the world on edge, but so far, long-standing arms control measures have helped keep the situation from getting out of control.
Perhaps hoping for an election boost, India’s Prime Minister Modi announces that Indian scientists shot down a live satellite at a low-earth orbit.
Jaipal Singh / AAP
On 27 March, India announced it had successfully conducted an anti-satellite missile test, Mission Shakti. India is now the fourth country in the world displaying this capability.
Russia claims its controversial Iskander M launcher doesn’t violate the INF treaty.
SERGEI CHIRIKOV/AAP
The US has withdrawn from a major arms control treaty with Russia, and Russia followed suit. So, what was the treaty, and what happens now?
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speak following a meeting on the security and stability on the Korean Peninsula in Vancouver.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
The latest salvo of insults and threats between President Trump and North Korea’s Kim brought the region a little bit closer to war. China, North Korea’s closest trading partner, may be the only way out.
People watch news on missile launch in Pyongyang, North Korea.
AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin
Although North Korea’s recent missile test is unlikely to have been an ICBM, they are likely to have a medium range missile that could hit South Korea in a few years.
Should Australia seek a ballistic missile defence capability, like that of the United States?
US Department of Defense
North Korea does not yet have the capacity to launch a nuclear missile from a submarine. Its recent test, however, suggests it is making progress to a game-changing second-strike capability.
Director, Nautilus Institute, Professor of International Relations and Honorary Professor at the Centre for International Security Studies, University of Sydney