Hypersonic weapons: in the blink of an eye, modern warfare has changed forever

> In the past year, both Russia and China loudly proclaimed they had advanced this technology out of the testing arena and into production.

Announcing and having actual weapons (viable or even PoC) are vastly different things.

> Hypersonic is defined as anything flying at sustained speeds greater than 7409km/h

A ballistic missile at apogee can be traveling upwards of 18000km/h (5000m/s). It's entirely possible that the real novelty is merely one of nomenclature.

A new narrative by equivocation would not only serve the domestic interests of Russia and China, but also the interests of Western defense contractors. Which would explain the nonchalance of Western militaries, who appear not the least bit surprised or bothered by the announcements. Though I wouldn't expect that to last as policymakers, at the behest of defense contractors, demand responses.