Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a hypersonic missile travelling 25 times the speed of sound. A historic review into Australia’s defence force found it wasn’t ready to tackle a more aggressive China, pointing to the need for new, long-range and guided missiles if the nation is to stand a chance at deterring a threat. The defence strategic review also outlined the importance of developing hypersonic and counter-hypersonic technologies with the second pillar of the AUKUS alliance with the UK and US bringing the technology into the tent. A hypersonic missile at full throttle at 25...