China has appeared to have taken a giant leap forward in the hypersonic race between itself, Russia and US with a new weapon that can be launched from space.
Hypersonic missiles can travel some 20 times the speed of sound, making them hard to defend against while also being able to hit global targets within minutes.
And now a new study hints the Chinese have stolen a march on its rivals by having weapons parked in orbit, ready to strike, according to myNews.
The research from the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) outlines the pros and cons of China’s re-entry glide missiles, capable of traveling up to 13,000mph in high altitudes within the atmosphere.
PLARF also confirmed variets can be launched from space, making them “capable of drastically compressing the adversary’s early-warning system response time and operational scope, thereby enhancing the probability of successful penetration”.
The analysis was published last month in the Chinese academic journal Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica, confirming for the first time earolier reports from the US that had been waved away by many experts as mere hype.
Four years ago The Financial Times quoted US military intelligence claiming China has tested two hypersonic weapons released from near-Earth orbit, but was dismissed by some as ‘science fiction’ at the time.
And last year US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth claimedChinese hypersonic missiles “can take out 10 aircraft carriers in the first 20 minutes of the conflict”.
“China is building an army specifically designed to destroy the US,” he said, adding that the US “loses to China in every war game” run by the Pentagon.
While the hypersonic missiels would drastically reduce US reaction times, they do have drawbacks according to PLARF. These include strong infrared signatures that gives them aware from a long distance, limited manoeuvrability due to their speed, and restricted communication meaning they would be difficult to abort.
PLARF says that China is in a race with the US’s ever-advancing missile defence systems and the re-entry glide vehicles (RGVs) could give them such an edge.
Such a vehicles, “operating at Mach 15–20, can approach global targets within 30 minutes, compressing the adversary’s deployment and response windows”, Professor Guo Yang and his collaborators wrote.
“RGVs can be deployed flexibly from satellites, ground-based launchers, or other diverse platforms.”
China’s hypersonic missile would also need to strengthen its shield against electronic warfare jamming, high-power laser beams and even nuclear blasts, they added.
Russia has used hypersonic ballistic weapons in its attempted invasion of Ukraine, with its Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles capable of Mach 10.