China tests hypersonic missile capable of circling the Earth
The test, which took place in August, was kept secret and surprised US officials, according to the newspaper.
China came to the attention of US officials by testing a hypersonic missile with a nuclear capability that circled the Earth. The test, which took place in August, was kept secret, according to information from the newspaper “Financial Times”.
Understand what supersonic weapons are
Also according to the newspaper, the hypersonic glider was armed with a nuclear warhead and was launched by a Long Marche-type rocket, developed by China. The missile circled Earth in low orbit before descending toward a target, but missed its target by about 38 kilometers. Even so, the test surprised US officials.
Long March 5B rocket taking off from China’s Wenchang Launch Center on April 29 — Photo: STR/AFP
In addition to Beijing, the United States and Russia are also working on the development of hypersonic technology.
onic missile is maneuverable (like the much slower, often subsonic cruise missile), making it harder to track and defend against.
While countries like the United States have developed systems designed to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles, the ability to track and take down a hypersonic missile remains a question.
China has been aggressively developing the technology, seeing it as crucial to defend against US gains in hypersonic and other technologies, according to a recent report by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS).
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The reported test comes as US-China tensions have mounted and Beijing has stepped up military activity near Taiwan, the self-ruling US-aligned democracy that Beijing considers a province awaiting reunification.
Difficult to be tracked, the hypersonic weapons being developed by these countries are launched by a rocket into space – like the ships used in space missions. They fly at five times the speed of sound, orbit the Earth with their own momentum and are maneuverable and can deviate from the initial course.
Image of Russian hypersonic missile test, October 7, 2020 — Photo: Disclosure/Russia Ministry of Defense/Via Reuter