China Space Mission: China launched a nuclear capable missile in August.
Beijing:
China has tested a new space capability with a hypersonic missile. financial Times Reported on Saturday.
Citing multiple sources familiar with the test, the report said Beijing launched a nuclear-capable missile in August that orbited the Earth in low orbit before landing toward its target, which three sources said was Missed by more than 20 miles (32 kilometers).
FT sources said the hypersonic glide vehicle was carried by a Long March rocket, the launch of which is usually announced, although the August test was kept secret.
The report said China’s progress on hypersonic weapons “shocked US intelligence agencies.”
Along with China, the United States, Russia and at least five other countries are working on hypersonic technology.
Hypersonic missiles, like conventional ballistic missiles that can deliver nuclear warheads, can fly at more than five times the speed of sound.
But ballistic missiles fly higher in space in an arc to reach their targets, while hypersonic ones fly on a lower trajectory in the atmosphere, potentially reaching targets more quickly.
Importantly, a hypersonic missile is maneuverable (such as a very slow, often subsonic cruise missile), making it difficult to track and defend.
While countries such as 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.
According to a recent report by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS), China is aggressively developing the technology, considering it important to hedge against US gains in hypersonic and other technologies.
The reported test comes as US-China tensions rise and Beijing has intensified military activity near Taiwan, the self-governing US-aligned democracy that Beijing awaits reunification of a province.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment on the FT report.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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