In a discussion with Life, Doctor of Military Sciences Konstantin Sivkov compared the Russian hypersonic weapon Dagger with the American AGM-183A ARRW. The first public test of the ARRW occurred on March 13, and US Air Force officials characterized the results as partially successful. Sivkov emphasized that, even without access to full data, the key parameters are evident: the Dagger appears to outrun its American counterpart in both range and velocity, though the precise figures remain a matter of official disclosure.
He stated that the AGM-183A ARRW has a flight range of about 1,600 kilometers, which he described as not particularly impressive. By contrast, the Dagger would cover a distance of roughly two thousand kilometers. Regarding speed, Sivkov noted that the United States hopes to reach Mach 21 with the ARRW, a target that is theoretically possible but currently unrealized in flight tests, where speeds of Mach 5 to 7 have been achieved so far. By comparison, the Dagger is believed to attain speeds in the vicinity of Mach 10 to 12, according to the expert’s assessment based on available data and open-source discussions.
According to Sivkov, the reported flight time for the ARRW ranges between seven and ten minutes. The Dagger, on the other hand, reportedly completes its flight in about one and a half minutes. The Americans deploy the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress as the carrier aircraft for the ARRW, while the Russian system is described as being mounted under the fuselage of the MiG-31 fighter-interceptor. This configuration would allow rapid delivery to the point of use, a feature that Sivkov highlights as strategically important for hit-to-target precision and time-sensitive engagement in modern contested environments.
Historical references also appear in discussions about these weapons. An older edition of The Washington Post reported that the use of hypersonic missiles by Russian forces during a special operation in Ukraine had a destabilizing effect on the United States and its allies, underscoring how perceptions of speed and reach influence strategic calculations even without full public disclosure of capabilities.