China slams AUKUS for announcing developing hypersonic weapons
China's Ambassador to the United Nations says AUKUS should avoid creating another Ukraine-like crisis.
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China's Ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun
China's Ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, slammed Tuesday Australia, the UK, and the US (AUKUS) after the three countries announced that they will cooperate on developing hypersonic weapons.
Zhang considered that countries should avoid creating another Ukraine-like crisis, pointing out that "anyone who does not want to see the Ukrainian crisis should refrain from doing things that may lead the other parts of the world into a crisis like this."
"As the Chinese saying goes, if you do not like it, do not impose it against the others," the Ambassador mentioned.
New hypersonic & electronic warfare capabilities
Earlier, AUKUS confirmed in a joint statement that they agreed to begin trilateral cooperation on the development of new hypersonic and electronic warfare capabilities.
"The AUKUS partners will work together to accelerate development of advanced hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities," the statement read.
According to the statement, the AUKUS partners will also cooperate on developing enhanced techniques to operate in an electronic warfare environment.
US tests hypersonic missile
It is noteworthy that the US military unveiled Tuesday a new test of a hypersonic missile, as Pentagon officials seek to match or get ahead of China's and Russia's advances in cutting-edge strategic weapons technology.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) confirmed it had recently completed a free-flight test of an aircraft-launched hypersonic missile that maintained a speed of more than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound (at least 3,800 miles per hour, or 6,100 kilometers per hour).
The missile flew to an altitude greater than 65,000 feet (19,800 meters) and soared over 300 nautical miles, indicated DARPA, the Pentagon's high-tech research body.
DARPA and @usairforce flew a @LockheedMartin hypersonic cruise missile, with @AerojetRdyne engine, at speeds faster than Mach 5 for an extended time. The 2nd successful HAWC program flight adds a new vehicle configuration to military transition options. https://t.co/5RZ6wPyWgj pic.twitter.com/Byly6snoF2
— DARPA (@DARPA) April 5, 2022
According to CNN, the newest test took place in mid-March but was kept quiet to avoid appearing to escalate the geopolitical tensions surrounding the war in Ukraine.
