Russian Military Engineer May Trade Hypersonic Missiles Secrets to US for Asylum

A Russian military engineer, seeking asylum in the United States, may end up trading crucial hypersonic missile secrets to the Western country.

It comes as Russia is gearing up for the first-ever international hypersonic missile exercise, working hand in hand with China and South Africa.

Russian Military Engineer May Trade Hypersonic Missiles Secrets to US

Every now and then, people from various parts of the world seek asylum in other countries for their protection.

But this time, the person who requested asylum in the US is none other than a military engineer in Russia. And this man, might be able to provide necessary information to step up the defense technology of the Western nation.

As per a report by Interesting Engineering, a report from the Customs and Border Protection says that a man, along with his family, visited the US-Mexico border in December 2022. He then requested asylum in the US.

The man seeking asylum says that he supported the campaign of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny against the Russian leader Vladimir Putin. And as such, he is now in the US due to fear of punishment for his involvement in the anti-Putin campaign.

However, it looks like his previous work in the Russian territory might be useful for the US.

The report disclosed that "his past employment had included working from 2018 to 2021 in the making of a particular type of military airplane at the Tupolev aircraft production facility in the city of Kazan in west-central Russia."

Interesting Engineering notes in its report that Customs and Border Protection finds the military defense technology expertise of the man seeking asylum something potentially helpful for the US.

It is worth noting that the Tupolev aircraft facility houses the production of the TU-160 bomber, which is perhaps the most sophisticated bomber in the arsenal of the Russian nation.

Given that, the military engineer might have some key information on how Russia plans to modify its sophisticated bomber into firing hypersonic missiles.

Countries like the US, Russia, and China have been racing to develop their hypersonic technology, which could impressively travel faster than the speed of sound. And with its high speed, it would be difficult to intercept.

Russia Plans to Test Hypersonic Missiles with China and South Africa

After the arrival of the Russian military engineer at the US-Mexico border to seek asylum, Russia is set to perform international tests of its hypersonic missile.

Fox News reports that Russia, China, and South Africa are expected to begin joint drills in the Indian Ocean.

It would reportedly be the first time the Zircon hypersonic missile will be tested in an international exercise.