China tests hypersonic missile in space: report

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China tests hypersonic missile in space: report

This may include advertisements from us and 2nd parties based on our understanding. Experts have warned the use of hypersonic missile in space is a game changer and should serve as a Sputnik moment for the US. It is reported that Beijing launched a rocket carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle into space in August after it was reported that Beijing launched a rocket carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle. It is said to have flown over the globe before landing on Earth in high orbit, before passing through space.

While the missile reportedly missed its target by two dozen miles, the test left Washington hot under the collar. The Financial Times quoted one official as saying: "We have no idea how they did this", not sure why. Countries like the US, UK, Russia and North Korea have all been working on hypersonic missiles. Similar to traditional ballistic missiles, such rockets can deliver nuclear weapons and can fly more than five times the speed of sound.

But hypersonic missiles fly high into space in an arc to reach their target, while ballistic missiles fly low in the atmosphere in a trajectory, potentially reaching a target quicker. Obviously, a hypersonic missile is manoeuvrable, making it harder to destroy and track. While countries like the USA have developed systems designed to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles, the ability of tracking and taking 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 a recent report by the US Congressional Research Service CRS Drew Thompson, a former U.S. Defence Department official with responsibility for China, said the test READ MORE: Galileo rejection: UK slams doors in face and RULES out return over security fears.

He added: Especially if more tests improve accuracy, establish its credibility, I think it is a game changer in a way that little else has really changed the balance. Once it works, once it goes credible, it negates US missile defences and makes the US vulnerable, which has to fundamentally change US strategic calculations about its leverage and China's ability to hold at risk major cities in the United States. China's defence ministers have remained tight-lipped during the test. Liu Pengyu, the spokesman of China s embassy in Washington, told the FT that China always pursued a military policy that was defensive in nature and that its military development did not target any country We don t have a global strategy or plans for military operations like the US does. Tesla Autopilot car crash captured on camera VIDEO Musk humiliated: Bitcoin soars after Tesla chief writes off coin Intelligence Apple, Tesla and Microsoft sound alarm as China threatens Christmas REPORT And we are not at all interested in having an arms race with other countries, He added: In contrast, the US has been fabricating excuses like the China threat to justify its military expansion and development of hypersonic weapons in recent years. This has severely intensified the arms race in this category and actively undermined global strategic stability. It comes amid rising world fears that China could soon invade Taiwan. President Xi Jinping said that the reunification with Taiwan must be completed as tensions over the island continue.