Warfare more unpredictable!
2
Midcourse, the missile follows a ballistic arc entirely outside the conventional air defence envelope. The strike concludes in the terminal phase. The missile re-enters the atmosphere steeply at hypersonic speed, committing to a near-vertical descent onto the target. Atmospheric friction generates extreme thermal loading and forms a plasma sheath around the missile, degrading radar stability and complicating fire control solutions. Velocity remains firmly in the hypersonic regime, while the engagement geometry collapses. The threat is not traversing defended airspace. It is piercing it.
Nawaf Obaid,  Al Jazeera 17/05/2026