Anti-ship ballistic missiles carry targeting and escalation risks

Hypersonic weapons are judged expensive and scarce, although newer designs are becoming more viable. The DF-21 example raises a separate concern: a large salvo still looks like a ballistic-missile launch, creating a risk of nuclear escalation during an existing war. Positive identification does not remove every fear about the launch's target or purpose. Finding and tracking the carrier group is also essential because the ships keep moving. The targeting example uses an estimated flight time of 45 minutes to an hour to illustrate how far ahead the attacker must predict the target's position.