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The testing of hypersonic weapons in China in July included technological advances that led to the explosion of a spacecraft as it approached a target of five times the speed of noise – a force that no other country has ever demonstrated.
Pentagon scientists were stunned by the advances, which allowed the hypersonic glide, a flexible nuclear weapon, to launch another mid-voyage across the South China Sea, according to experts.
Experts in Darpa, the Pentagon’s top research institute, are still unaware of how China overcame the physical obstacles by firing on a hypersonic vehicle, said people familiar with the demonstrations.
Military experts have been researching more and more of these tests to understand China’s expertise. He also argues for the purpose of the projectile, which was driven by a hypersonic vehicle without its purpose, before entering the water.
Some Pentagonists believe that the projectile was a spacecraft. Some think it was a barrier to destroying weapons to prevent them from dropping hypersonic weapons during a war.
Russia and the US have also been pursuing hypersonic weapons for years, but experts say the shooting contradicts recent evidence that China’s efforts are far more advanced than the Kremlin or the Pentagon.
The White House declined to comment for the allegations, but said it was still concerned about the July 27 trial, which was first reported by the Financial Times last month.
A spokesman for the National Security Council said: “This is affecting us as it should be for all peace and security in the region and beyond.” he continues to follow. ”
The NSC added that the US “will continue to have the capacity to defend itself and avoid a number of threats” from China.
What is a hypersonic glide car?
The first March 7 truck used to ship a Chinese cargo ship in 2017 © AFP via Getty Images
There are two types of hypersonic weapons. The first is an easy-to-control steering wheel powered by an engine. The second is a race car.
A hypersonic glide is a spacecraft – not separate from the atmosphere – that launches into orbit on a rocket. It then plunges into space and flies at a target of more than five times the speed of sound.
HGV can act as a common weapon by using its speed to destroy the target at power. But China is developing HGVs that are capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Pentagon officials have been increasingly publicized with their concerns about the July exam. The hypersonic glide car was flown in space on “orbital bombardment system “rocket which can fly at the South Pole, and set the weapon that it will not reach the missile defense system in the US, which focuses more on the threat of missiles coming to the North Pole.
The orbital bombardment system gives China a number of ways to fight for US goals. Moscow launched a so-called “fractional orbital bombardment system” during the Cold War, but it was not very advanced and did not carry a high-speed hypersonic glide.
US officials are well aware that China is ahead of the Pentagon in hypersonic weapons. But a July 27 test showed that the People’s Liberation Army rocket Force was advancing faster than many expected. This has been encouraged by Beijing by successfully combining an orbital system with a hypersonic weapon capable of firing missiles.
The hypersonic test comes as China rapidly expands its nuclear power, in a way that shows leaving “minimum deterrence” a position he has maintained for many years. The US recently said it would quadrupling its nuclear weapons with at least 1,000 weapons these ten years.
The Chinese ambassador said he was “unaware” of the missile tests.
“We never want to have an arms race with other countries,” said Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the ambassador. “The US in recent years has been making excuses as a ‘Chinese threat’ to justify the development of weapons and the development of hypersonic weapons.”
Beijing denied the first FT disclosure of the hypersonic weapons test, saying instead it was a reusable vehicle test. But the test of the car took place 11 days before the test of hypersonic weapons, according to people who know the whole onset. FT also reported that China had also tested hypersonic weapons on August 13.
General David Thompson, senior vice president of space missions in the US Space Force, said the US “has not led” like China or Russia on hypersonic weapons.
“We need to act very fast. The Chinese people have had a very aggressive program for several years,” Thompson told the Halifax International Security Forum on Saturday.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Department of Labor, recently called for an arms test near “Satellite moment”, Meaning that the Soviet Union became the first to install a satellite in space in 1957.
Lloyd Austin, secretary of defense, this week said he does not use the same language. But earlier this week as he prepares to retire as deputy prime minister, General John Hyten expressed serious concern.
“Sputnik made an impression on the United States,” Hyten told CBS News. “The experiment on July 27 did not create such interest. I think it should bring urgency.”
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