In 2019, a new type of hypersonic weapon called the DF-17 was unveiled during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Now, just under three years later, the Russian Ministry of Defence has claimed the first combat use of one of these missiles in its ongoing war in Ukraine, specifically an air-launched Kinzhal hypersonic weapon. What distinguishes these new kinds of weapons is their ability to change trajectory after they’ve been la