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Third Russian hypersonic missile scientist charged with treason

Robert Besser
10th August 2022

MOSCOW, Russia: A leading Russian scientist in the field of hypersonic flight, Dr. Alexander Shiplyuk, has been arrested on suspicion of treason, according to Russian state media.

Director of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Siberian Branch, Shiplyuk is the third Russian scientist this summer to be arrested for treason.

Meanwhile, the institute's scientific director, Vasily Fomin, told the Russian news agency TASS that Shiplyuk was sent to the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center in Moscow.

On 27th June, the chief researcher of the institute, Anatoly Maslov, was also arrested on suspicion of transferring state secret data related to hypersonic missiles.

According to the institute's website, Shiplyuk heads a technology lab with unique wind tunnels purpose-built for simulating hypersonic conditions.

On 30th June, another scientist, Dmitry Kolker, a researcher at the Institute of Laser Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was arrested by the Sovetsky District Court.

Reuters reported that Kolker was detained on state treason charges for allegedly collaborating with China's security services.

Military powers in Russia, China, and the United States are working to develop hypersonic glide vehicle weapons, which are highly maneuverable and can theoretically fly at hypersonic speeds.

Russia is thought to have a hypersonic system, the Avangard, which Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed, in 2018, was "practically invulnerable" to Western air defense systems.