Keywords:
Hypersonic Weapons, Cognitive Air Defence, Artificial Intelligence, Integrated Air and Missile Defence
Hypersonic missiles compress timelines, manoeuvre unpredictably, and operate in altitude bands beyond the reach of most air defence systems. These characteristics make them the most disruptive missile threat since the advent of the ballistic missile, challenging the assumptions that underpin deterrence and defence. This paper argues that defeating such threats requires a paradigm shift: the adoption of cognitive air defence warfare, where artificial intelligence augments—but does not replace—human decision-making across the kill chain
