Hypersonic threats and missile-intercept geometry

Do hypersonic anti-ship missiles make aircraft carriers undefendable and therefore obsolete?

Hypersonic speed is not unprecedented, but defense depends heavily on engagement geometry. A missile crossing near the edge of a defended area is harder to intercept than one flying directly toward the defending force.

Naval and strategic defenses have long had to confront hypersonic re-entry vehicles from ballistic missiles. A weapon approaching the defending ship offers a comparatively simple interception geometry. An attack crossing the outer edge of a nominal area-defense envelope creates a harder calculation: the interceptor must reach a predicted point far from the launcher. A target that changes course can make that interception harder because the defending missile is already operating near the end of its range. Speed alone does not determine whether defense is possible, since direction, range, and engagement geometry also matter.