China tested nuclear-capable, hypersonic space weapon - FT
The Chinese military's hypersonic capabilities are "far more advanced than US officials realized."
Military vehicles carrying hypersonic missiles
DF-17 travel past Tiananmen Square during the military parade marking
the 70th founding anniversary of People's Republic of China, on its
National Day in Beijing, China October 1, 2019. (photo credit: REUTERS/JASON LEE)
China made significant strides in space weapons capabilities in August as they secretly tested an advanced nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, The Financial Times reported on Saturday night.
The
report said the Chinese military launched a rocket carrying a
hypersonic glide vehicle that flew through low-orbit space, circling the
globe before cruising towards its target, which it missed by about 25
miles.
The new
missile reportedly caught the US by the surprise, with a source telling
FT that China's hypersonic capabilities are "far more advanced than US
officials realized."
China's Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment from Reuters on Sunday.
The
hypersonic weapons, also tested by the US and Russia, include glide
vehicles that fly at five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) –
approximately one mile per minute – and are launched into space on a
rocket, orbiting the Earth under their own momentum.
According
to an expert on Chinese nuclear weapons policy, the newly-tested
weapon, armed with a nuclear warhead, will help China "negate US defense
systems which are designed to destroy incoming ballistic missiles," FT
said.
America's defense systems,
which are focused on the North Pole, could be completely disregarded as
the new weapon could potentially fly over the South Pole, according to
FT.
The Pentagon logo is seen behind the podium in the briefing room at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., January 8, 2020. (credit: REUTERS/AL DRAGO/FILE PHOTO)
“We
have made clear our concerns about the military capabilities China
continues to pursue: capabilities that only increase tensions in the
region and beyond,” said the Pentagon's spokesperson John Kirby.
The United States and Russia are also developing hypersonic
missiles, and last month North Korea said it had test-fired a
newly-developed one.
At a 2019 parade, China showcased advancing weaponry including its hypersonic missile, known as the DF-17.
Ballistic
missiles fly into outer space before returning on steep trajectories at
higher speeds. Hypersonic weapons are difficult to defend against
because they fly towards targets at lower altitudes but can achieve more
than five times the speed of sound – or about 6,200 km per hour (3,850
mph).
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